The Apathy of a Gamer
by DevonLegend
Summary: Becoming a pro gamer was like a double-edged sword. He loved the perks, but hated the fame. Now in the world's first VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, Kirito is sought out by fans once more. Now trapped inside the game with death looming over there shoulders, players need his skills more than ever. There is only one problem though. Kirito is a solo player, and plans to keep it that way.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome everyone to The Apathy of a Gamer. This is a fanfiction where Kirito will be both a famous gamer and an overpowered one. I hope you enjoy what is inside.**

 **Edit: This chapter has been revised on June 1, 2018.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online or any of it's characters.**

* * *

"Hello, and thank you all for tuning into MMO Stream!" A female announcer said over the live stream a young male was watching. The current viewer count tuning in was well over one million, and that was only on one of dozens of websites streaming the event. "We are now jumping into the grand event, winner takes all battle royale in the most popular MMO out there, RAIZE!" She said excitedly, sitting behind a desk along with two other people. The two men next to her were the creators of the game who she had just interviewed, hyping up the final moments before the battle royale began.

"The one who is crowned the victor will win an amazing trophy and $100,000 dollars! The winner will also receive a brand new Nerve Gear and beta access to the new VRMMORPG game, Sword Art Online! We give out a huge thank you to Argus, the company who owns the Nerve Gear and sponsoring the event!" She was practically bouncing out of her seat as she herself was excited to see the massive battle take place. "Please stay tuned, as the finals will begin in just a few short moments!" People watching the event around the world were furiously typing away on their keyboards, spamming the chatroom and countless others until the words had become a complete blur across the screen.

Everyone was excited for this.

The black haired male listened as the announcer continued to talk with the game's creators. _'Guess we're gonna start soon'_. He thought anxiously. The boy sat in front of three monitors. The middle one had RAIZE loaded up on it, and his character seemed to be in a waiting lobby. On his right, he had many statistics pulled up and info he had researched about RAIZE. The left monitor had the live stream he was watching. _'I should get ready.'_ He quickly hooked up his gaming headphones into his computer.

He was about to place them on when there was a knock on his door. "Kazuto, are you almost done? Dinner is ready." A young, feminine voice called out from behind the door.

Kazuto Kirigaya grimaced as he heard his younger sister, or rather his younger cousin Suguha, yell through the door. "I already told you guys not to bother me today!" He yelled out vehemently. "I'll come down after I'm finished!" The boy turned back in his chair, his mood now dampened. _'Geez, I already told them a hundred different times that today was the day that I would be competing in the battle royale, but they still keep knocking on my freaking door.'_ He thought as he placed his headphones on, ignoring anything else that may come out of the girl's mouth. _'I can't have her or mom distracting me from the game. This is exactly why I put that lock on my door.'_ Even though he told his family weeks in advance that he would be particularly busy today, they still kept on coming up the stairs to check on him.

"Oh, okay. Well, dinner will be in the fridge when your ready for it." Suguha replied back, sounding dejected. "I guess..." She mumbled out, knowing he didn't hear her. _'This is the third day in a row he's missed dinner. I know that he's in some gaming competition, but I can't help worrying about him.'_ Suguha thought as she slowly walked back downstairs to join her mother for dinner. Ever since he picked up that game, it was almost like Kazuto was a different person. He rarely spent any time with her now.

It made her sad.

This was how every conversation had been between the two for years. The girl could barely remember the last time he went out and did something, anything else, but he wouldn't have it. All he ever wanted to do was play games. When they walked home together or past each other in the house, he would barely speak a word to her. When he was in the middle of one of his gaming sessions, he would always brush her away. All she would get from him were a couple sentences along the lines of, "Go away! I'm busy!" or, "Sugu, could you please leave me alone? I'm in an important game." She just wished he changed back to his old self. The time when they both still did kendo and the time they actually knew each other.

Heck, it didn't even have to be kendo anymore. It could be any activity, or even just sitting and talking would be more than enough for her. She had tried to reach out countless times to him, even going as far as trying to play the same stupid games he always did. In the end, not even those worked. Not only couldn't she wrap her head around the mechanics, but she was highly outclassed. He didn't want to play with a beginner, or with her. She just wished everything could be normal like it was when grandpa was still alive.

All she wanted was her big brother back.

"But there is nothing I can do." She whispered as she sat at the dinner table along with her mother, her words unheard. It would be pointless to try to talk to him now. Once he started, it was like he would never stop. Especially now, as today was a very important day to him. _'Maybe tomorrow I can try again.'_ She thought as she tried to keep her depression from reaching her face. She didn't want her mom to know she was hurting.

Maybe tomorrow.

 _'Good she left. I hope she doesn't come back until this is over. I can't even get distracted for a single second while I am in this thing.'_ Kazuto thought, his nervousness from before kicking back up again.

Kazuto, in-game alias known as "Kirito", was a gamer. Not just a normal gamer, but a hardcore gamer who spent all his free time on video games and all his money boosting his specs on his computer. The game he played more than anything was the current #1 game of 2022, RAIZE.

The game RAIZE goes by a single motto. "LET'S RAIZE SOME HELL!" It's an MMORPG that is centered upon player vs. player interactions. You equip your character with gear after grinding on monsters and events in various locations on the game's wide and vast map. After that, your objective is to take out other players and steal their loot, so that you could progress and become even stronger. Sounds simple, but with millions of different people playing worldwide competing against another, it is anything but. RAIZE is an extremely difficult game, as a player's skill could far outclass your own. The fact that there was only one safe zone in the entire game, the starting city, made it hard to stay alive.

But that's also what made it so fun. It made every collectible, every reward, every level that much more worth it. The exhilaration of defeating another player and taking their stuff was addicting, which was why it was such a successful game. It is extremely difficult to play, and with more and more people playing by the day, it would only get more difficult.

Especially for a hardcore gamer like Kirito.

Most players group up with their friends so that they could gang up to defeat a strong player. You would have a much higher chance to beat someone in a 5v1 than a 1v1. It was a popular strategy to team up, and almost everyone did, which often times could prove to be unfair to some. One of the fastest ways to get good at RAIZE was to get a group of your friends to quickly gather equipment so you could team up on smaller groups of opponents. This way of playing made teamwork a very vital role when playing the game.

A role Kirito had forgone the moment he logged in.

Kirito was a solo player. He didn't like to team up and felt like his own strategy was better than a groups. True enough, he had taken down dozens of players and had managed to come out on top. After rumors of a solo player taking down teams of elites, Kirito started to make a name for himself as he became better and better at the game. Because he played by himself, he was known to be a powerful player. He became so good that others started to look at him as one of the best. His name appeared in forums and videos of his skill began popping up all around the internet, proving just how good he really was.

His fame only continued to grow. He was practically an internet sensation as everyone wanted him in their group, but nobody wanted to meet him out in the field from fear of losing their items.

He was just that good.

There were several professional tournaments for RAIZE throughout the years it was released. They were all fun and unique in there own way, and always had an amazing prize pool. Consolation prizes for second and third were always money and a trophy, but the best prize would always go to first. Previous tournaments have always had some sort of group battle where players would take each other on in teams. There was even a tournament that involved the fastest objective completion. These tournaments, while amazing to watch, were ones where Kirito could never actually compete, or even qualify. He simply did not have a group of friends that he could enter with. People who invited him to play were players he didn't trust or know their battle plans, and teamwork between them would be difficult. He just wasn't confident enough in anyone to play with them. However, this particular tournament was very different than the others that had been held.

It was a battle royale, meaning one on one. No teams. One victor. Winner takes all.

When Kirito heard of the announcement of this event, he immediately jumped in. Looking at the rules and the prizes, how could he not? It was like the tournament was specifically designed for him to play in. If he won, he'd get $100,000 dollars, a free copy of the new Sword Art Online's beta test, and the Nerve Gear. He'd get a trophy too, but he couldn't care less about that.

The rules stated that all forms of teaming up were banned. If you did, you would be immediately disqualified. You HAD to play on your own. The entire battle royale was created for a sole reason.

To decide who was single-handedly the best player in RAIZE.

And Kirito was aiming to be it's champion.

As soon as qualifications to enter the tourney began, he logged in and spent over twenty-four hours playing non-stop. He only had a week before the time limit was up, and there was no way in hell he wouldn't qualify for something as grand as this. After countless hours he poured into the game, the countless times he had let his health drop and missed dinner, he had finally qualified. Now here he was sitting on his chair, awaiting for the battle royale to begin.

Kirito started to feel a little anxious. He had never actually competed in a professional gaming tournament before. He looked at the live stream and saw there were now close to three million people watching it. He wiped his hands onto his pants, ridding them of their sweat, before going over all the knowledge he knew about previous tournaments, what was in this one, and everything he knew about the game, along with his own strategies he started forming. After playing this game for so long, he knew he mastered it.

The boy was addicted, and this was something he was aware of. Not just to RAIZE, but all video games in general. It all started four years ago, back when he was ten. Kazuto was suspicious on why his mom had always acted weird at the mentioning of parents around him, so after finally giving into his curiosity, he hacked into private records of his family.

Bad news.

He found out he was adopted by his aunt because his parents died when he was young. His whole outlook on his family changed. His mom, the mother he thought all his life was his true mom, wasn't actually his real mom. Not only her, but Suguha also wasn't his real sister. After learning of this, it was hard to even be around them. He felt like he didn't belong with them, like a stranger. So he played games. He began to play them so much that he no longer liked to do anything else. That was also around the time he had quit doing kendo. His grades in school also started to drop, but he soon realized that his games would be taken away if his grades were low. He always stayed at the top of his class and even went as far as doing a week's worth of homework ahead of everyone else in class so he could focus more on playing games.

He did feel guilty for pushing his aunt and cousin away. Like he had left them on the side of the road. Still, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get over the fact that they weren't his real family. The only thing that could keep his mind away from the pain of thinking about it was gaming.

A small notification box appeared on Kirito's middle screen with RAIZE loaded up. He abandoned his thoughts and read it. _'They're notifying me to get ready. It'll be starting in one minute.'_ He adjusted himself, getting comfortable in his chair and quickly looked back at the door to double check it was locked. No more intruders, no more distractions.

It was time to play.

"Okay everyone! The battle royale to determine who is the best player in RAIZE is about to begin! Countdown!" The female announcer spoke out loud as the number ten appeared on the livestream, and on his game. Kirito sat as the number painstakingly ticked down until it had hit zero.

The announcer gave one last shout.

"LETS RAIZE SOME HELL!"

* * *

"And that's it! Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the tournament and the new best player in RAIZE! Your champion, Kirito!"

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his entire life. He, Kirito, a fourteen year old gamer, was now the very best in the most popular game in the entire world. Music blared, people cheered, keyboards were destroyed as fingers typed away into them. All of his anxiousness he had while playing in fear of making a mistake and being eliminated had vanished. The grin Kirito sported nearly split his face in two.

He couldn't contain himself.

"YES!" Kirito yelled as loud as he could, standing up so swiftly he knocked over his chair and ripped his headphone cords out of his computer. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this elated. No, he had never felt so great. It was like the world was his and his alone. He had so much fun. More fun than he ever possibly could have dreamed of.

Today was the best day of his life.

Rapid steps could be heard running up the staircase under the boy's loud cheering. "Kazuto! Are you alright!? What happened!?" Suguha yelled with worry filling her voice, banging on his door. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she suddenly heard him downstairs. She had never heard him scream so loud in her life.

After a few more cheers and countless knocking later, Kirito had finally heard her cries of worry. He quickly unlocked his door and opened it up. He didn't even give her a second to speak before quickly hugging her. "Sugu! I won! I won!" He yelled with triumph.

Pink tinged her cheeks as she felt his arms around her. "Won? Won wha-AHHHH!" She suddenly screamed and the boy picked her up and began to spin her around, her face now redder than a tomato.

"Today is the best day ever! Oh Sugu, I love you!"

"EHHHHH!?" She screamed once more before comically passing out in his arms.

* * *

 _One Week Later_

After the tournament and celebration was over, there were still some things that he had to do to obtain his winnings. The agreements had to be finalized and he had to sign a second contract, the first being the one to participate in the battle royale. He also had to give out his address and email to the company so that they could confirm that he was Kirito. Of course, none of this was made public for privacy reasons. After everything was worked out, and after his mom gave an adult's approval after they had found out he was underage, all he had to do now was wait for his prizes to come in the mail.

School was just letting out and Kazuto was now heading to the grocery store. His sister Suguha, or cousin, was staying after school because she was in the kendo club and had practice. He remembered that his mom, or aunt, wanted him to pick up tonight's dinner. He walked begrudgingly, as he would prefer to go home and play RAIZE than eat.

Except now it was almost impossible to play.

Every time he logged into the game, he would be bombarded by players in the safe zone. They asked him a bunch of questions, including tips on how he won and how they could get better at the game. Countless of players asked him to join their groups, but like always, he turned them down. Some gave up, but others were really persistent. He did his best to ignore them, but it was easier said then done. They would follow him around everywhere and it sucked. Even on a video game, Kazuto was not a social person. That was one of the major reasons he had decided to play solo.

He tried to stay hidden from the crowd, but because his username displayed above his head, it was pointless. Everyone who played the game recognized the name 'Kirito'.

EVERYONE.

He tried to leave the safe zone so he could go out and play the game normally, but he couldn't. Every time he tried, there would be a bunch of people who would instantly try to ambush him. He was good, and could most definitely fight off several different players, but even he had limits as high level players with high level equipment would charge at him in attempt to dethrone him of his title.

The bunch of wannabees.

Kirito let out a sigh thinking about it. _'Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter much. I'm sure the hype will die down eventually.'_ He thought for a moment, before another idea popped up into his head. _'Besides, if this new virtual reality game is as good as they are making it out to be, than I'll probably just quit RAIZE.'_ Virtual reality was starting to get very popular in recent years. Some companies had some minor successes with it, but none were as big as Argus' new game, Sword Art Online. Created by Akihiko Kayaba, it was supposed to be a game where a player could dive straight into the video game by wearing a helmet called the Nerve Gear. After the player activates it by saying, "Link Start", it would transport a person's consciousness out of the real world and into the virtual one. This new virtual world acts like your typical MMORPG game, except that you, an actual person, were playing and moving inside of it.

 _'I wish I knew more about it.'_ Kazuto pondered the game and how it would play out. Playing a video game by going into a new world and moving around with your own body sounded unfathomable. If what they said is true, and if there aren't any bugs, the game would easily revolutionize the entire concept of the world of gaming. _'It sounds sick.'_ He thought excitedly, for what would at least be the one-thousandth time.

Thinking about the game had made time go quick, as he found himself now in front of the grocery store. _'I need to withdraw some money.'_ Kazuto thought after looking inside his wallet. He had been to this store plenty of times before and knew there was a small ATM in the corner on the inside. He walked inside and up to the ATM, inserting his debit card inside the machine. Kazuto looked at his balance.

Balance: $100,136.89

His mouth fell open. One hundred thousand? But that could only mean...

 _'Oh my gosh...'_ It's here! He got his prize! Kazuto nearly began jumping with joy before composing himself. Quickly realizing that someone could easily walk up behind him and look at his balance, he hurriedly took out the needed money and withdrew his card.

 _'Be cool dude, stay calm.'_ He pepped himself mentally. Everything was fine, no need to get excited out in public. Just get the food and walk home. The young teen was practically walking like a robot as he grabbed a random item for dinner, paid for it, and walked out of the store. His feet slowly carried him down several blocks until he arrived at his home.

He walked inside the door.

"MOM!"

Kazuto's mother yelped and he heard a crash. She must have been washing the dishes. "K-Kazuto? Is that you?" She hesitantly asked while peeking at the front door. She hadn't heard him yell like that since he'd won that game tournament thingy.

"Is it here? Did the package arrive?" He said so quickly that it was almost unintelligible.

She blinked for a moment, processing his words, before understanding. "Yes, yes, I put it in your roo-" Was all she was able to get out before he suddenly vanished. _'Did... Did he just teleport?'_ She thought before heading back to clean up the broken plate she accidentally threw at the wall.

* * *

 _'Yup, it's all here.'_ Kazuto thought as he went through the packages that were delicately placed on top of his bed. He sorted them all out, even though there wasn't much to go through. _'Nerve Gear, check. Sword Art Online, check. The trophy, too. It's all here.'_ Kazuto immediately began to read the manual on how to use the Nerve Gear properly and how Sword Art Online should be installed. He set up everything just as the instructions said and now he was just waiting for the game to be installed into the Nerve Gear.

He sat on top of his bed, listening to the machine hum as it was processing the data it was fed. He was feeling very impatient, but knew he would get to play eventually. Laying down and looking at the ceiling, he pondered on what he would buy with the prize money he won. "A new computer?" He asked aloud. He could use a new one, after all, his was almost a year old. Way too outdated.

His foot bumped into something. "Hmm?" Oh, he'd almost forgotten. He had also gotten a trophy. He picked it up and took a good look at it. He never actually focused on how it looked until now, but it was actually very ethereal and pretty. He had seen pictures of it that were advertised throughout the week of qualifying and before the actual battle royale, but the pictures didn't really do it justice. It was way cooler to look at in person. The trophy was made of a neat blue glass that practically shined in the light with circular designs going up into the RAIZE logo. On the bottom of it was a small pedestal that read, "RAIZE #1 player of 2022: Kirito.

 _'I guess this means I've officially become a professional gamer.'_ Kazuto smiled as he stared at the words. Only true professionals get paid to play, and with one-hundred thousand now in his bank account, he could definitely call himself one of them. He never really gave the trophy that much thought until now. He spent his focus on the money and game, completely glossing over the thing that symbolized his win. It actually made him feel proud to have something like this. It was proof that he had become a pro gamer, something that he could only wish to be in the past.

He remembered that he had a large shelf inside of his room with another trophy. The boy stood up and gently placed his new trophy right next to the only other trophy he had. It was a kendo trophy. It was simple, made out of wood with gold-colored plastic. Nothing all that special. Nevertheless, he did win it for getting first place in a local kendo tournament, beating out everyone else who had entered. He got it years ago, before he found out the truth of his parents. It was supposed to be the first of many. Now he would just put his gaming trophies up there.

"It should be downloaded now." Kazuto said, still excited to be one of the first people to beta test the first ever VRMMORPG. It was announced that the beta for the game had begun just yesterday, which means that he was a day late to the party. He would have to spent a little extra time playing to catch up, time he was sure he would enjoy. He placed the Nerve Gear on his head and said two words.

"Link Start!"

* * *

 **That's the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed. F** **or anyone thinking that Kirito is OOC, that is because he sort of is. He is not completely different, but his outlook on certain things will be quite different from ones in canon. Either way, I am sure you will enjoy it.**

 **Also, the game RAIZE I made up isn't going to have much importance in the story, so to the people worrying about it, you don't have to.**

 **Please let me know how I did, and have a good day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the second chapter.** **Quick thanks to the ones who followed the story, I didn't think I would get so many on the first chapter. Your feedback and support is appreciated.**

 **Before we get into it, I would just like to address something about the previous chapter. It has been brought to my attention that the currency I used when Kirito won $100,000 was U.S. currency. I know that he is Japanese and it should be yen and not dollars. But for this fanfiction, I am just going to stick with U.S. currency in the real world just to make it easier for myself because I don't want to stress out about yen pricing in Japan. Of course I will still use col for money in SAO. I'll also be using U.S. times, like 3:00 p.m. instead of 15:00.**

 **That being said, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Edit: This chapter has been revised as of June 2, 2018**

* * *

The bells went off as the school day ended and the students and faculty were free to leave. One student in particular had already packed up his things and was already out the door.

Walking up to the school's front gates, he began standing at his usual spot, waiting for Suguha so they could walk home together. Today was a day when kendo club wouldn't be held, so she was sure to leave school to go home. After fifteen minutes of standing and watching faces walk by, not seeing the girl he was waiting for, he knew what had happened.

 _'So, I guess she went home without me again, huh?'_ Kazuto thought sadly. She had done this countless of times now, and each time hurt even more. Still, even if she wasn't going to come, he continued to wait for her. It was the least he could do for what he had done to her.

He had made her angry, and for good reason, too.

 _'I wish I knew how to make it up to her, but nothing I try works. Isn't there anything I can do?'_ He thought, a large frown making its way to his face. She had been avoiding him for nearly two entire months now. It felt so surreal, how the same girl he lived with could pretend he didn't even existed. She had never acted that way in the past. He never knew she would be the type to hold a grudge. _'But I don't have a right to criticize her.'_ Kazuto sighed. It was pointless to continue standing around.

The boy adjusted his bag and began treading back home with his mind being clouded with nothing but Suguha. He could barely even think about Sword Art Online, his new most favorite game. His guilt was starting to override his gaming addiction.

The beta test for Sword Art Online had ended almost two months ago and in a couple days, the official launch will be released to everyone who could get their hands on it. For some reason, the company Argus had decided to only create nine-thousand more copies to sell in stores. They said it was because they wanted to see how the game ran with ten-thousand players in it. Not because the server would lag or anything, but because they wanted to do a test with a smaller amount of people. Future copies of the game would be sold later, so if you wanted to play, you would have to get your copy now.

Kazuto was thankful he still had his copy of the game. He felt bad for the people who had to camp out weeks in advance to get their copy. He knew if he tried that, his aunt would stop him.

 _'Sugu...'_ Her name appeared in his head again. Kazuto quickly shook his head in frustration. Every time he thought about the game, or anything for that matter, a picture of Suguha would always pop up and remind him of his mistake, filling him with unquenchable guilt.

 _Flashback_

* * *

"Hey Kazuto!" Suguha waved as she ran up to her older brother who was waiting for her at the front of their school. He was rapidly tapping his foot on the ground. SAO's beta test was still going on and he wanted nothing more than to play it. Every second counted, and she had been a few minutes late. "Are you excited to see me compete in the upcoming kendo tournament!?" Suguha looked up at him in excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Kazuto looked bewildered. "Wait, what?" He said aloud, his impatience temporarily forgotten. He knew that last year, Suguha had made it to the nationals as a quarter-finalist. Nationals were only held every three years, so this tournament shouldn't be all that important. If he were honest, he had almost forgot she even competed in them. He barely interacted with her or his aunt anymore. He didn't even know how they spent their day, or if something important was planned, just like now. ' _Time must have gotten ahead of me_.' He thought, downhearted.

"You know, the tournament I've been telling you about all week? It's the same tournament you won when you were little!" Suguha responded to his confusion. Her face morphed into one of irritation. "You do remember your suppose to come watch me, don't you?" She asked, doubting him.

"O-Oh, uh, of course I remembered!" He didn't sound all that believable.

The girl gave him a grumpy look and adjusted the shinai case on her back. "Whatever, just don't miss it okay? I really want you to be there." She said, almost pleadingly. She wouldn't be all too worried about him showing up if he was also going with her and mom. She had to prepare for the tournament a few hours in advance before it actually started and her mom was coming along to help her. If Kazuto came with them, he would be bored out of his mind waiting around with nothing to do. She didn't want to put him through that, so he was suppose to come right before the tournament started on his bike.

But that's what had her worried. He played his game so much that he would always lose track of time. Their mom has had to come into his room multiple times and forcefully take the helmet off his head because he had played all the way up to three in the morning on a school night. She wanted to trust her brother, but she couldn't deny the doubt in her heart. Suguha looked at him with puppy eyes, a look that made him feel like putty. Kazuto coughed into his arm. "Yeah, of course. I won't miss it." He could easily tell this tournament was very important to her. Apparently it was the same tournament he had competed and won in all those years ago. She probably wanted to make him proud by also winning it. "What time is it again?"

"Its today at 7:00 p.m."

 _'Today at seven, huh?'_ Kazuto thought, before his eyes widened in realization. "Wait, Sugu! The beta's planned to hit the eighth floor boss today at five!" He shouted. There was no way he could miss out on that raid today. No one had expected they would find it before the beta test ended, but they did. They couldn't push it off anymore, or else they wouldn't get a chance to explore the ninth floor. Kazuto absolutely NEEDED to know what lied on the ninth floor. That way, he would be able to prepare and adapt for when the actual game came out.

"But can't you just schedule it for tomorrow?" She asked.

"No Sugu! We really can't wait any longer!" Kazuto began to get anxious.

"Come on Kazuto, please! I really don't want you to miss the tournament!" Suguha's voice started to crack.

"But Sugu-"

"What's more important!? That damn game!? Or me!?" Suguha cried out with tears brimming her eyes. A few students began looking in their direction. Kazuto looked around, beginning to feel embarrassed. He also was feeling surprised. He never had heard Suguha swear before, ever. He paused, thinking over his words. What should he choose? The game? Or her?

"Your right." He told her, making a decision. "I'm sorry. You're way more important than some game." His words were buried in his throat, but he forced them out. "I'll go."

A look of shock appeared on Suguha's face, before she suddenly hugged him. He felt her weight push into him, making him take a step back. Kazuto blushed, not knowing how to react in this situation. He couldn't remember the last time he had hugged someone. She let him go as a happy and relieved smile appeared on her face. She quickly wiped her eyes. "Thank you." Joy poured out of her words as she looked at him, a pink hue on her cheeks. The smile she was giving him made her look truly beautiful.

 _'Beautiful?'_ He asked himself. That word never crossed his mind when he thought of her before. Sure, he thought she was cute, in a younger sister sort of way. Now, she looked a lot different. _'I guess she is getting older.'_ He thought as his eyes threatened to droop down onto her chest. She was a year younger than he was, but she already had the breasts of an adult.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you..." Suguha apologized. "And I'm sorry about your game. I know how much you care about it." She knew asking this of him was a lot. She was just glad she could convince him to come.

Kazuto shook his head. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have made a big deal about it." Even if she wasn't his real sister, she was still important to him. He didn't like seeing her upset, nor did he ever want to make her cry. He smiled at her. "Come on, let's go home. You got a big day, after all." He began walking away from the school.

She smiled back "Okay." She said, quickly following next to him. Suguha remained silent, but she was secretly overjoyed. ' _He cares! He really does care about me more than his video games!'_ The big clutter in her stomach had finally disappeared. She finally knew how he really felt, even if he did play games all the time. _'Maybe this means we can spend more time together afterwards?'_ A tiny smile graced her face. Their relationship had taken a big step today. She was very hopeful for what would come in the future.

Meanwhile, Kazuto had something else in mind. _'7.00 p.m... Boss raid is at 5:00 p.m... 3:25 now, takes about twenty minutes to walk home, and Sugu is suppose to leave a few hours before the tournament starts. Which means...'_ His eyes widened slightly. _'I still have time to fight the boss!'_ All he would have to do is budget his time correctly and he could fight the boss and make it to Sugu's tournament!

He glanced at the girl skipping beside him. _'I shouldn't tell her that though. If I do, she'll only worry.'_ He didn't want to make her upset again. It almost killed him to see her tear up a moment ago. If she knew of his plan, she would definitely get upset again. _'I'll just have to do both without telling her. No worries, it will all turn out fine.'_ He thought, confidently.

He wasn't gonna let her down.

* * *

"Okay Kazuto! Mom and I are headed out to the tournament now!" Suguha yelled out from the front door, looking up at him on the staircase. Mom was already out in the car and she was just now putting her shoes on.

"Yeah, see you soon." Kazuto calmly waved back. He had a genuine smile on his face as he watched her leave. The truth was, he was excited for her, and more than a little nervous. He knew that she was extremely good at kendo, probably better than he ever could have been, but there could still be that one random competitor who showed up out of nowhere and beats her.

 _'I know you can do it. I believe in you.'_ Kazuto thought, reassuring himself. She had already won a few other tournaments before, and he'd experienced what it felt like to spar against her. He knew her victory would come easily.

He watched as they got in the car and drove away. He walked back inside the house and looked at the clock.

"Good, its only 4:28. I still got a bunch of time to make it to the raid." He locked the front door behind him in case any stranger decided to intrude inside the house while he was diving, and walked upstairs to play Sword Art Online. Kazuto closed his bedroom door and laid on his bed, placing the Nerve Gear on his head.

"Link start!"

 _Hours Later_

"Alright he's distracted! Everyone in the back, charge!" A player screamed loudly as everyone behind the boss attacked it with a battle cry, using their strongest sword skills. Several weapons slashed into it's back, and the boss gave out one final screech as the sound of it shattering filled the room.

 **Congratulations!**

Players began to cheer as the message displayed above the room for everyone to see.

"Phew." Kirito sighed finally letting his shoulders slack. That was definitely the toughest boss they've fought so far. Unlike on floor seven though, he didn't get the last attack bonus. The player who did get it was showing the item off. It was some kind of shiny greataxe. It didn't really matter to Kirito anyway, as his weapon of choice was a one-handed longsword. That and the player wouldn't get to keep it for long.

"Man Kirito, that took forever." Another player said as he walked up to him, stretching his arms over his head.

"Yeah your right, that took over an hour, even after we prepared." Another player said walking up.

"Yeah I know." Kirito responded, hiding his mild annoyance. Did these guys have to address him like friends. He knew it was because of his fame in RAIZE that these guys were treating him this way, but it was still hard to get use to and be around. Under the name 'Kirito', he probably would never be able to escape the mass of players who walked up to him like they knew him.

"Yeah Kirito, if it wasn't for you we'd of probably never got that opening." Another guy chimed in. At first he liked the compliments, but now he knew they were just sucking up to him. Of course, they had also invited him to join their guilds, groups, and all that nonsense. He had refused as politely as he could, although he knew it wasn't all that polite. He just wanted to play alone. Teaming up for the boss was fine, but other than that, fuck off.

 _'Oh well.'_ He thought. He had a plan to get rid of these guys once the real game began. He would let them stick around for now. _'Besides, I gotta get to exploring that new ninth floor!'_ A large smile made itself known on his face. They did it! This next part of the game would be the last they would get to explore. They only had a couple of days. "Well, lets go!" He shouted out to everyone, making them all give out their own loud cry. Kirito went up to the ninth floor doors and opened them up.

Completely forgetting about his promise.

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Kazuto cringed just thinking about that day. Definitely one of the worst moments of his entire life. Remembering the completely broken face she had when she arrived home crushed his heart into millions of pieces. He heard her cry in her bedroom next to his for the entire night. Every cry of distress was like a blow to the face, and he felt haunted by the sounds she made.

His aunt had given him hell that night, too. He remembered the words she had spoken to him. "If you love that damn game so much more than your own sister, then maybe you should stay in there forever!" He recalled her yelling at him. It was easily the worst scolding he had gotten from her. It made it worse when she let him continue to play the game. It was punishment in a way. Instead of grounding him and taking it away, she would let him drown in guilt as he continued to play.

It worked. Not only did his guilt suffocate him every second of every day, it had been going on for two month now. His aunt had long since forgiven him for it now, but Sugu still refused to even look at him. His stomach churned every time he thought about her. He almost felt like dying. _'But this is nothing compared to what I made her feel.'_ Kazuto thought. He deserved every bit of pain he felt. He had no right to do that to his cousin. No, his little sister. It was just pure evil.

He didn't even realize it when he had opened the door to his house. "I'm home." Kazuto said, his voice aching with sorrow.

"Oh, welcome home Kazuto!" He heard his aunt's voice inside the living room. "How was your day?"

"Okay, I guess." He replied, just loud enough for her to hear as he kicked his shoes off. That was the extent of their conversation. She didn't bother saying anything else, as she knew he would just walk upstairs into his room for the rest of the day. She was right as she heard the treading of feet climbing up the staircase. She sighed, wishing her son would be a little less of a shut in, and make amends with Suguha.

The saddened boy walked into his room and shut his door, locking it. He threw his bag down next to his bed and sat in his chair. _'Come on Kazuto, get your head in the game.'_ He thought to himself. Now wasn't the time to be sad. He had to prepare himself as much as he could for tomorrow.

As tomorrow would be the official launch of Sword Art Online.

It would be a weekend, Saturday to be exact. The wait was over for the people who had camped out for weeks. They got their own copy of the game today. The only thing now was to wait until the server was up at 1:00 p.m. The black haired boy quickly clicked onto the internet and many links until all three of his monitors were littered with SAO news. The hype for the game had hit hard and it was all everyone was talking about now, not just the gaming community. News stations, commercials, interviews, everything. It seemed that everyone was excited for this brand new game that people were already calling 'revolutionary.'

It certainly was a fitting title. Kazuto himself had beta tested it and could say firsthand that the game was way beyond anything he had experienced before. Even back when he won the battle royale in RAIZE, where he himself believed to be the most fun he had in his life, would now say without a shadow of a doubt that he had at least ten times as much fun playing Sword Art Online. And that was just the first nine floors. Now that the entirety of Aincrad would be released, he could experience all one hundred floors and have a thousand times more fun than he had before.

Skimming over several articles, he found one that said that Sword Art Online was just the beginning. Soon, there would probably be dozens of games that use the Nerve Gear where people could dive in and play. That also made him excited, as he was interested in what other things could be done in VR. Still, that excitement didn't even come close to how excited he was for SAO.

He couldn't really describe it. Playing Sword Art Online had been another experience that he just doubted anything else could replicate. Even if a new game was released that was even better than it, he still felt like he would enjoy SAO more. It was like a strange attraction that had drawn him to the game.

Sort of like the world was made for him to complete it.

Kazuto shook his head. _'All there is to do now is wait.'_ He had every bit of information he knew about the game and every strategy he had formed packed into his head. There was no possible way he could forget a single ounce of information. _'Tomorrow will be a good day.'_ He thought.

* * *

"Today is a good day!" Kazuto said, bouncing up and down in his chair. He had woken up early and had been on his computer almost all day, waiting for the time the SAO server was finally up. He had already prepared some snacks and several drinks next to his bed so that he could log off quickly, feed himself, and jump right back in the game. Currently he was staring at several pages displayed on his computer monitors that all concerned SAO. One of them was a video of some of the people who had stood in line for weeks so they could get their hands on it. They all had a goofy grin of their faces, and he was sure his grin looked just as goofy.

He looked behind him, double checking his bedroom door was locked. He didn't want anyone pulling the plug to his Nerve Gear while he was playing this time. He had enough of that shit in the past, it wouldn't be happening now that the game was fully released.

Kazuto listened to the woman on the video speak inside his headphones. He could tell she clearly wasn't a gamer and was only talking to them because it was her job as a journalist. He decided to tune her out in favor of reading an article that was published just a few minutes ago. The article contained details about SAO and the one who created it. There was also a picture of the man himself, Akihiko Kayaba.

Kazuto was actually a really big fan of him. He was the one who had developed such a fantastic game, after all. Not only that, but the man was actually a genius. If someone spent the time to read up on his work, they could tell the man was decades above others in intellect. If Kazuto ever had to pick a career for himself, it would probably be some kind of creator, just like Kayaba. Of course, he was way to busy playing Sword Art Online to worry about something like that.

He saw movement in his peripheral vision outside of his window. It was Sugu running off to kendo practice that was held on the weekend. _'She's probably trying to train as much as she can for the nationals.'_ Speaking of the nationals, they would be coming up in a couple years. She would once again be participating in the junior's division, as she was still underage. He had snuck inside the family dojo a few times to see her practice, as it was practically the only time he would be able to see her nowadays. She was way better than he could ever imagine. The last time he had seen her was when he was still practicing over four years ago. Now, she was on a whole new level. He didn't know what happened, like a switch flipped in her and now she had reached heights he could barely fathom. He was sure she was already better than grandpa was in his prime. If he were honest, if he went up against her in a match, she would probably kill him in about half a second.

"She really is incredible." Kazuto muttered under his breath. Too incredible. It was like the sword belonged in her hands. "I wonder how she would fair in Sword Art." He asked aloud. The boy would never admit it, but if she ever played and got used to the games mechanics, it was be very likely that she'd stomp him. "Pfft, no way." Kazuto would never be able to live that down. She may be able to kick his ass in real life, but he would be damned if she beat him in a video game. "Wait, shouldn't that be the other way around?" He blinked a few times before shrugging. Oh well.

Kazuto glanced at the corner of his computer screen to look at the time. _'_ _12:55 p.m.'_ Five more minutes, and SAO would be open access for anyone who owned it. He started getting chills just thinking about it. He had his battle plan ready. Still, unlike other beta testers who could just load up their old character model, he would have to change his old one. The reason for this was that he purposefully chose a character with blonde hair and blue eyes so that when the real game came out, he could create his real character and no one would be able to recognize him by looking. It was his plan to get rid of all the people who kept following him. Unlike RAIZE, Sword Art Online did not show a player's name above their head, meaning no one could find him by that way. He had also deleted every person he added off his friends list so that it was empty, meaning they couldn't track him by using the friend tracker either.

' _12:59 p.m.'_ His heart began pumping. He closed all of his computer tabs and took off his headphones before swan diving into his bed. Patting his hair down flat, he placed the Nerve Gear on top of his head. The boy looked at the corner of the lens the helmet had, which also had a clock. Any second now and it would be time.

He was the very best player in RAIZE and now...

 _1:00 p.m._

He would be the best in Sword Art Online.

"Link Start!"

* * *

Kirito spawned in the game with his newly created avatar. It didn't take him long to make because he already knew what he wanted to look like. He was only slightly taller than his actual body so that his balance wouldn't be completely thrown off. He had long, wavy, black hair and eyes that made him look like a hero you would see in a kid's story. This look wasn't strange at all as everyone in the game created characters that looked similar. Every guy was handsome and every girl was beautiful. Those were the benefits of being in virtual reality.

"Hmph." Kirito smirked, clenching his fist. _'Get ready world. Cause I'm taking you down.'_ Kirito was confident that he would be the one to reach the top floor and beat the game. He'd been super good at RAIZE, and after playing SAO for a couple months, he knew he would excel here, too.

And just like in RAIZE, he planned on playing solo.

He looked around to see if any other players had spawned in. Of course they had, as there were hundreds upon hundreds all seemingly circled together as they logged in a bright light, many looking at their own bodies in amazement and chatting with one another. Every one of them had a bright smile on their face as many of them were experiencing VR for the first time. Kirito also sported a smile.

It was great to be back.

Seeing everyone look at themselves, Kirito decided to give himself a once over. He looked down at his clothes. Even though you could customize your character looks, you couldn't customize your starting colors. Everyone started with the basic long sleeved shirt, pants, and boots, as well as basic leather armor that was colored a light brown. The boots were also brown, but the pants and shirt ranged in a variety of colors. Kirito didn't know why color's were randomized, but he speculated it was a way for the developers to tease them.

The gamer looked at his randomized colors. Both of his pants and shirt color were black. 'That's very convenient.' If he could have chosen their colors, he would have picked both of them to be black. Not only did it look cool, but it was his favorite color. That's why he also chose his hair and eyes to be the same.

He quickly walked to the nearest weapon stall to buy the «Beginner's Sword». It was a weak short sword, but it would have to do for now. The stall only had a limited number of weapons. There would obviously be more later in the game, but for a start, the short sword was the best choice for him. The only other bladed weapon in the stall was the «Beginner's Dagger», and he would much rather prefer a sword.

Kirito also chose his first skill, the «One-Handed Sword». It was just a skill that allowed the player to use swords as their main weapon. He saw other players at the stall too, already purchasing their weapons. _'Since these guys already know where this stall is, they're probably beta testers. I should separate myself from them so I don't draw attention to myself.'_ Kirito thought with narrow eyes, placing his sword on his back, rather than hip. He knew that their would be some noobs trying to scope out beta testers so that they could teach them about the game. He definitely did NOT want to be one of those guys. He had better things to do then waste time teaching beginners how to play. That and he didn't want to reveal his identity to no one.

He saw a player running down the street with a «Beginner's Sword» on his hip. The player was stopped by some guy with long pink hair who sounded like he was asking for advice. _'Yup, just like I thought. You shouldn't have been running in an open area pal. It's just gonna drag more attention to you.'_ Kirito nearly laughed, watching as someone had made a mistake he had just told himself not to make.

Looking away from them, Kirito began pacing himself. He made sure he didn't walk too fast, but quick enough so that he could still cover a good amount of distance. He took back roads and alleyways where no normal player would go to and made sure he wasn't followed. After spotting that no one was around, he took off. There really wasn't any reason to stay in the «Town of Beginnings». All it really had was some crappy inns and stalls like the one he used. For such a massive city, it was mainly just npc houses. There were some tutorial guides that counted as quests, but the loot from them was terrible. A complete waste of time. Simply walking out of the city and fighting the weak boars would give you better xp and loot.

As he ran, Kirito began drawing his route to the next town. Although the map highlighted towns and points of interest, it really didn't go into detail. If you wanted a specific path, you had to map it out yourself. The game made you explore the world for yourself, something he loved.

Without a second thought, he drew up the pathway that would lead him to his destination as fast as possible. He planned on going to «Horunka Village» to get his precious «Anneal Blade». It was the best weapon on the first floor, and for the next few floors after as well. It was his sword he had for almost the entirety of the beta. He only replaced it after the 9th floor when he had finally gotten the «Queen's Knightsword».

After running and grinding for a half an hour, Kirito finally made it to «Horunka Village». He immediately started the quest to get the sword, «The Secret Medicine in the Forest». It was a quest where the player had to help a mother's child get the medicine she needed to be cured. You get the item from fighting the «Little Nepents» that were just outside of the town. There was a problem though. The item would only spawn on nepents that had a red flower on it's head. Those nepents were super rare. Previously, it took Kirito days of grinding to get the item. Some players had to grind even longer than he did. He knew he would probably have to sit here grinding for days but in the end, it would be worth it.

Kirito ran outside of town and proceeded to kill the nepents. He had to be careful not to hit the fruit on a few of the nepents heads. If a player struck the fruit, it would draw every little nepent in the nearby area. Players could easily get swarmed and killed by doing so. It was extremely dangerous for a level one like himself. Players who've had higher levels still died to this quest from that. If he died, he would lose a good portion of col, items, and respawn all the way back in the «Town of Beginnings» church. He did not want that. Luckily, Kirito was a professional and never had any sort of problem like that in the beta. He wouldn't start having them now.

He'd been grinding for a few hours now. He was getting good drops and xp. In fact, he was getting pretty close to leveling up. No one else had shown up. It was kind of strange. He expected at least one person from the beta to make their way here now, but he was the only person there. _'Guess their all too busy helping noobs.'_ Kirito thought, finding more comedy in that guy's situation. With how fervent that noob sounded, he was probably still helping him out. The gamer was thinking just how far ahead he was of the other players when he suddenly began to glow in a blue aura. With that as his only warning, the boy was teleported.

 _'Huh?'_ Was what Kirito could think as he suddenly appeared back at the starting area in the «Town of Beginnings». _'Wait what? I didn't die or anything, why the hell am I back here?'_ Kirito was outraged. Even with his mapped out route to get to «Horunka Village», it still took half an hour to get there. That was thirty minutes of running all the way back. _'And I was just about to level up, too!'_

He looked around and saw a bunch of other players who seemed like they had been teleported. Matter of fact, it looked like everyone single player logged into the game was teleported. _'A forced teleport? But why?'_ Kirito thought. People started chatting with each other.

"Why were we teleported here?"

"What's going on?"

"Is this the opening ceremony?"

Kirito looked up and saw Hexagons displaying the word "warning" and what reminded him of blood fall from the sky. It grouped together and formed a gigantic hooded figure who wore a blood red cloak with it's face shadowed out.

"Attention players." He began. "I welcome you all, to my world." The figure spread their arms out in a welcoming, god-like gesture.

 _'His world? So is he Akihiko Kayaba?'_ Kirito pondered.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba." Called it. "And as of this moment, I am in control of this world." Players began muttering things Kirito couldn't care less about. He had his full undivided attention on Kayaba, staring at the giant pensively.

"I'm sure all of you have noticed an item missing from your main menus, the log out button. Let me assure you that this is not a defect from the game. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be."

 _'Wait, seriously?'_ Kirito thought. Was that true? He opened up his menu and true to Kayaba's word, the log out button was blanked out. _'Huh... I didn't even notice that. Guess I was too absorbed in grinding. Besides, why the hell would I have wanted to log out in the first place?'_ Kirito pondered while closing his menu, the seriousness of the situation completely going over his head.

"What!?"

"Seriously!?"

"He's kidding, right!?" Were questions asked by the players wondering what was happening to them. Surely this was just an elaborate prank.

"You cannot log yourselves out of Sword Art Online. No one from the outside world will be able to shut down the Nerve Gear on your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the Nerve Gear will discharge a signal into your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life."

"Bullshit! This is stupid, we're getting out of here." A player said trying to leave. "Oof, what the? Hey, I can't get out!" He yelled after he smacked into an invisible wall. Several other players began to get angry and more and more people began to protest their thoughts out loud.

 _'He's right though. The transmitters in the Nerve Gear work just like microwaves. If the safety was disabled, it could easily fry your brain.'_ Kirito recalled this fact from the articles he read up on how Akihiko Kayaba built the Nerve Gear. _'And the power can't be cut either. The Nerve Gear has an internal battery.'_

"Despite my warning, there have been friends and families of the players who have attempted to remove the Nerve Gear. This was indeed an unfortunate decision. Because of this, the game now has two hundred and thirteen less players than when it began."

"What!?"

"Your kidding!?"

"Two hundred and thirteen people!?"

"As you can see here." Kayaba said swiping his fingers down like a player would to open their menu. Several screens of real world footage began to pop up in front of him. "The news outlets have round-the-clock footage of everything, including the deaths of the players." One of them even contained a warning message saying, 'Attention! Do not remove the Nerve Gear on someones head! This could cause them immediate death!'

"It is safe to assume that the Nerve Gear being removed is minimal. I hope knowing this will inspire you to clear the game." Kayaba announced.

 _'Wait a minute, why does he want us to clear the game? Is it... for freedom?'_ Kirito speculated.

"It is important to know that there is no longer a way to revive a dead player in the game. If your HP bar drops to zero, the Nerve Gear will discharge the signal and kill you in the real world." The hooded figure stated, making hundreds of players simultaneously gasp.

 _'He added a death penalty?'_ Kirito thought with surprise. _'If we die in the game... we die in real life? How... interesting.'_ His interest was certainly peaked. _'Guess it's a good thing that I've never died. Even in the beta.'_ A smirk grazed his face, just asking Kayaba to come and get him.

"There is only one way to escape now. You must clear all one hundred floors of the game." The giant began to open his own map, revealing all the floors of SAO in a three-dimensional version. "Right now, all of you are gathered together in the «Town of Beginnings» on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through all of the dungeons and defeat all of the bosses, you will clear the game, and obtain your freedom."

"WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU SAY!" The player who hit the invisible wall yelled.

"No, he's lying, he has to be!"

"This isn't real, no way."

"What!? Are you kidding me!? All floors!? Not even the beta testers made it that high!"

"Lastly, I placed a little gift in the item storage for every player. Please, take a look." Kayaba held out his hand, gesturing that he had given them something.

Kirito opened up his menu again. _'A mirror?'_ Kirito took out the mirror and looked at it. He stared at it for a few seconds. _'Is this suppose to do anythi-'_ His thoughts were interrupted when his figure once again glowed in a blue light.

After he was done shining, he looked back down into the mirror and a gasp of terror escaped him.

"No way." Kirito choked out, his own world shattering around him. This was... his real face. He looked down at himself and saw that he also had the same scrawny figure he had in real life. He also felt shorter, just as short as he really was. _'Oh no, people can see me!? What do I do!?'_ He began panicking, breathing faster. He was hyperventilating. People weren't suppose to see him! That was the point! He was suppose to be Kirito! not Kazuto! All of his felt strength, the power of Kirito, the one who could do anything, was now being replaced with the pitiful Kazuto. The weak, pathetic nerd who did nothing but stay in his room all day.

The boy felt his legs shake before they gave out under him. He collapsed to his knees. He couldn't breath! He was choking! His hands came up to his throat as he tried to get oxygen inside of him, but he couldn't!

Not his identity! Please! Anything but that!

He was blacking out.

Could he see?

What did he see?

...

Nothing?

Right when Kazuto felt himself passing out, a face came into his head.

It was his sister Suguha, smiling at him.

Just like that, all of the fear that had plagued him was washed away as his mind snapped back to reality. He blinked several times as his vision came back to him. He used his hands that were previously latched onto his shoulders to pick himself off the ground, his shaking long gone.

' _Calm down dude. Chill man.'_ He placed a hand over his heart, breathing slowly. He took several deep breaths and analyzed the situation. _'The Nerve Gear probably scanned my face, and that's how it knows what I look like. As for my body, the body calibration we had to do was probably how he got our physical data.'_ Kirito analyzed.

He looked around at the other players. They were all panicking just as badly as he was, but over entirely different reasons. 'No _one knows who Kirito actually looks like. They only recognize the name. Plus, everyone else had their real face and body revealed, too. I'm not the only one.'_ That made him feel more comfortable.

Kirito quickly thought of the girl who had snapped him out of his fear. _'Sugu... thank you.'_ Even if it wasn't really her helping him, just her face was more than enough to give him strength. His social anxiety had kicked up to eleven and nearly controlled him. He hated that. Still, he knew why he had that reaction. Half the reason he was scared was because he didn't want to be recognized as Kirito. The other was because he genuinely didn't want to be near others. _'Maybe... I have anthropophobia.'_ He knew his shyness was bad, but he didn't know it was that bad. It made him grimace.

Looking around cheered him up though. Seeing a bunch of previously female players turn into dudes wearing skirts was funny. He let out a small laugh. He could work with this. Sure, he didn't like it, but he had no choice but to accept it. The mirror he had dropped onto the ground had shattered, as did everyone else's. Kayaba's words began filling his ears once more.

"Right now, you all are probably thinking, why? Why is he doing this? The reason is simple. I created Sword Art Online so that I would be in control of a world of my own design." He spread his arms once more. "As you can see, I have achieved my goal. Players, I wish you all the best of luck." Was Kayaba's last words as his cloaked figure began to dissipate. He deformed and the red material went back up into the sky. The polygons displaying the warning message disappeared, and all that was left was an orange sky and white clouds.

There was silence, no one said anything. _'This man, Akihiko Kayaba. He created an entire virtual world just to be in control of it. He's a genius. Everything he had done was premeditated and he made sure there wasn't a single way we could escape. The only way we can get out now is to beat the game.'_ Kirito thought.

His thoughts were interrupted as players all around him began to scream.

"HELP US! SOMEONE PLEASE!"

"IT'S A LIE! IT'S ALL A LIE!"

"PLEASE LET US OUT OF HERE!" Was some of what Kirito could pick up among thousands of voices desperately yelling for their lives. He cringed as he cupped his ears in his hands, barely able to think over them. In the corner of his eye, he saw the silhouette of the invisible wall disappear.

 _'There's my exit!'_ Kirito began maneuvering his way through the crowd of people, occasionally stepping over someone who had collapsed from fear. Everyone was distracted right now. He knew that now would be the best time to get up and out the way instead of dealing with everyone trying to get out at the same time.

Kirito began running to the weapon stall again. He checked the durability on his sword and saw that it was running really low. There was no point in fixing it, so he just bought a new one. He also sold the unneeded drops he gotten from mobs and bought several low level healing potions. He then made his way out of town back into the direction of «Horunka Village».

It still irritated him that he had to spend time running back there, but it didn't really matter anymore. After all, he had all the time in the world.

Kirito was running down the mapped path when a smile crept up onto his face. It was a smile of pure bliss. He still had trouble wrapping his mind around what had just happened. _'I'm trapped... I'm trapped... in this death game...'_

His eyes shined. "I'm trapped inside a game!" Kirito yelled out, overflowing with happiness! He didn't care at all what Kayaba just did! So what he tagged a death penalty to the game, big deal! He never died in here before and didn't ever plan to! He could play Sword Art Online as much as he wanted without ever having to leave! This was heaven! In a game, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week! Was it his birthday!?

A few laughs began to escape Kirito's lips as he just couldn't hold them back. Before long he was laughing as freely as possible. He escaped the real world and entered a video game utopia! Everyone else was scared to death, afraid because they were trapped and would have to literally fight for their lives to escape. But Kirito? He wanted this! It's exactly what he wished for!

"This world... IS MINE!" Kirito screamed as loud as he could with euphoria. If anyone else could see him now, they'd think he was insane. Why would you want to be trapped in a game, forced to fight for freedom? You could actually die! Nobody in their right mind would want to be here!

Nobody except for Kirito, who was completely apathetic to the rules of the death game.

It was simply the apathy of a gamer.

* * *

 **That's the second chapter? Tell me, did I just ruin my story? Or do you like that sort of twist?**

 **The part with Kirito freaking out about his identity actually plays a huge role in the story. His identity is the most important thing he owns. He doesn't want to connect with anyone out of his own fear of people and fear of his fame catching up to him. Remember this as you read.**

 **For anyone concerned about Klein not making an appearance, he will most likely show up later in the story.**

 **Thank you for reading, and have a good day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is the third chapter, I hope you enjoy. Thank you all who followed and favorited the story.**

 **If you have any questions about what I plan to do with Kirito or future chapters, just review or pm me. I will tell you as much as I can without spoiling the plot.**

* * *

She couldn't stop crying.

It had been a couple hours since the death game was announced. An ambulance was already on it's way to pick up her brother. Her mother was in the same state she was. Ever since they found out what had happened, their tears just couldn't stop falling.

Suguha and her mom were sitting next to Kazuto, holding his hand as he laid in his bed. The only sound in the room was the slow intake of air and the release of his breath. Neither of them said anything to each other. Every time they tried to, they would end up a blubbering mess as sobs escaped their throats.

Why? Why did this happen? Why him? All he wanted to do was play a video game.

Video games.

She hated them. Seeing what they did to her brother fueled that hatred. If it wasn't for those dumb, pointless video games, her brother wouldn't be in this mess! Why couldn't he just stay away from them!?

No, she couldn't blame him. It was his hobby, just like practicing kendo was hers. This wasn't his fault.

It was Akihiko Kayaba's

She never even heard of the man until today. She and her mom heard it on the news. That this man had trapped everyone playing Sword Art Online inside the game. How could he do something like this? Kazuto, and everyone else who were playing it are just gamers, and now they're trapped inside of it with no way to get out!? What if they died?

What if he died?

Suguha didn't want that. It was sickening to even think of something so atrocious. It made her want to throw up. But the sad truth was, it was possible. He and everyone else inside the game could die. She couldn't imagine what he was going through right now. He must be terrified.

She was too.

If Kazuto actually died in there, she'd be ruined. She loved him so much. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he wasn't there anymore.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

It tore her up inside recalling how she treated him the past month. She knew that he was trying hard to get her to forgive him. He really was sorry. But she wanted him to learn a lesson.

When Suguha realized that Kazuto didn't show up to her kendo tournament, her stomach dropped. She felt betrayed. He was so sincere to her, she really believed in him. But in the end he just lied to her face. Getting her hopes up and tossing her feelings aside.

She felt angry too. How could he do something like that? She knew better than anyone that Kazuto was actually a good person. Sure he has a lot of faults, but he is kind and always does his best. She always thought that he would never break a promise.

Until then, at least. She knew he didn't mean to. She took one look at his face and could tell he regretted every second he wasn't there. But she couldn't just forgive him. He wouldn't learn his lesson if she did. She needed to teach him not to do something like that again.

It was working. He tried just about everything she could think of to make it up to her. He even bought her an expensive necklace with the money he won from that gaming tournament. She couldn't be next to him for too long. If she was, her angry facade would break. And now, she wished it had.

Their last interaction together was of her making some snarky reply and blowing him off. He probably thinks that she hates him and that he deserved to die in there but that wasn't what she thought at all!

If he dies, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She wanted to have more interactions with him, more happy times that they could remember together. She wished she never started ignored him in the first place. He learned his lesson along time ago, she was just dragging it out. It was her fault. Why did she have to be such a bitch? She kept thinking the same sentence over and over in her head.

 _'What could I have done differently?'_

* * *

It had been a couple hours since Kayaba announced his death game and Kirito had already made his way back to «Horunka Village» killing nepents for their «Little Nepent's Ovule». Just because there was a death game didn't mean he was changing his routine. He still needed to get his «Anneal Blade». Doing this quest was the only way to get it unless you bought it from a different player. Because they were so rare, players charged a lot of col for it. It didn't really matter to him because he wasn't going to let some guy do the work for him.

Being honest with himself, the death game didn't really bother him. Kirito just wanted to have fun playing the game. The game is just tougher now that dying meant permanent death in both the real and virtual worlds. He remembered all the players in the «Town of Beginnings». Everyone of them were either screaming or so shocked that they couldn't say anything. They must be pretty scared. But he wasn't. This world really is just a game. All you have to do is be good at it. He estimated a good half of the players would probably never leave the town out of fear and that was perfectly fine with someone like him. If they don't feel comfortable fighting then they shouldn't have to. Leave it to the pros.

It started making Kirito think about it even more. How many players would die? How many players plan to fight? How many will make it to the end?

That last part definitely included him. He was NOT going to miss the end game. After all, that's the best part. What'd be the point of going through your entire journey in Aincrad only to die in the end? That person wasn't gonna be him. He was a pro, and pros win. Kirito knew better than anyone how this game worked. In fact, he has already planned out what he needed to do through the nine floors that were previously unlocked in the beta. He knew every quest he would take, every route to travel, and the best ways he could get xp fast. He even started planning on what he would do after those floors.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice until the message appeared.

 **Congratulations!**

 **Level up!**

 **1** **» 2**

Kirito smirked. Still only a few hours in and he reached level two. It didn't sound like much, but level two on the first day was really good. He sheathed his sword and pulled up his menu. It was time for him to pick his second skill.

Previously, Kirito thought long and hard on which skill he should take. It was a tough choice between the two ones he wanted. Of course he would get them both eventually, but which one would be more useful to start with?

The «Searching» skill? or the «Hiding» skill?

Kirito knew exactly which one to take. The choice was obvious for a veteran like himself. He would choose the «Searching» skill. It was a simple reason that most people would overlook. He only knew about it because of his previous experiences as a beta tester.

MPKing

MPK meant Monster Player Kill. This means that someone baits and lures a strong monster to kill a nearby player instead of them directly killing the player themselves. The biggest and most common place that people MPK'd in the beta was during the quest «The Secret Medicine in the Forest».

The exact same quest he was doing now.

It was actually a pretty clever trick. An average player would be minding their own business, fighting one or two nepents without much difficulty. But that would be when a nearby player would destroy the fruit on a nepent's head which would then lure all the nepents into that area. The player who struck the fruit would take off leaving the average player to get overran with nepents and killed. The only player loot that was dropped this way was col, and quest items, making it very convenient for an MPKer. About one in three beta testers who did the quest tried MPKing someone. Kirito himself actually did it to a player. It was pretty fun.

But he knew it wouldn't be fun on the receiving end. Kirito wasn't going to be knocked out of the game from a basic trick like that. And that reason is exactly why he chose the «Searching» skill. If he had the skill and someone tried to MPK him while he was doing the quest, he could quicky activate it, see where the nepents were coming from, and go the way with the least amount of nepents. He could simply dodge and slash through the few that got in his way.

He also knew that if «Searching» and «Hiding» were at the same level, «Searching» would be able to see through «Hiding». He didn't know why, but it was just a fact he knew. So getting «Searching» was easily the best choice. He'd get «Hiding» in a couple of levels.

Kirito selected «Searching» as his second skill and was just about to start grinding again when a thought appeared.

 _'Would people even try to MPK, or even PK now that dying meant real death?'_ He only thought of this breifly before coming up with an answer.

Of course people would try to MPK and PK. It was human nature to survive. Even if that meant killing someone else. As long as it meant saving yourself, it wouldn't really matter.

People start to think irrationally after they feel threatened. Especially if it threatens their life. Not only that, but greed also begins to overrun people's emotions. Say, three players were doing this quest and an ovule popped up. Even if they were trying to get it together, only one of them can get the ovule. It would just mean that they all have to stay longer so they could all get one. And what if the person who got it decided to leave? It was pointless for them to stay because they already gotten the item. This would make the other players angry, and therefore MPK the person who got the ovule.

Kirito wasn't an idiot. He knew something like that was guaranteed to happen. It would only be a matter of time.

He continued to slay more nepents. After a few more minutes, his newfound «Searching» skill picked up something behind a tree.

It was a player.

 _'Damn. Well I knew people would start pouring in eventually. At least I had a few hours to myself.'_ He thought sadly, the peacefulness of being alone coming to a closure.

"Hey you, behind the tree. I know your there so just come out already." Kirito said to the hiding player.

He heard a leaf break, and saw the player come out of hiding. "Woah, how did you know I was behind there? Do you already have the «Searching» skill?" The player questioned. _'This guy's sharp-witted.'_ Kirito inquired.

"No, it was obvious with you breaking all those leaves." Kirito lied. "Oh haha." The player laughed. "I guess I wasn't as sneaky as I thought, huh?" The player said sounding much more jovial than what Kirito expected for a guy who just learned that this was a death game.

 _'He's hiding something. Either that, or planning it.'_ Kirito thought, holding back a scowl. _'He better not try to MPK me. He seems like the type who would try something like that.'_

"So, I'm guessing that you also started «The Secret Medicine in the Forest», right? It's funny, I thought I would be the first one here." The player held a hand to his mouth, holding back a chuckle that couldn't be more fake. "Would you like to party up with me? The quest would be done a lot faster."

"No." Kirito immediately responded.

"Huh? But why? We're obviously both beta testers because we already found our way here so I'm sure we both know how to play. It would save us some time too. What would be the point in not partying?" The player asked, surprised by Kirito's quick answer.

"Because I don't want to waste my time sharing loot with you." Kirito replied rudely. In truth, that was only half the reason. The other half was because partying with another player meant showing them his name. He did not want someone, especially a guy like this, to learn that he was Kirito.

The player was stunned for a short moment, and forcefully smiled back at Kirito, trying to maintain his temper. "Oh alright, I understand. I'll leave you be. I'm just gonna go over here killing these nepents. I'll stay out of your way."

Kirito got a bad feeling. He watched as the player made his way to other nepents that were nearby. Problem was, he was still in eye view. Meaning that if he wanted to, he could still MPK him. Kirito honestly wasn't sure what this guy was going to do. All he knew was that he better not try anything. He didn't want to say anything to the player either. He didn't know if it was from being anxious to talk to someone else or because he wanted to see if the guy would really try to MPK him.

Kirito continued killing nepents for another thirty minutes without anymore interruptions. He glanced next to him and still saw the player nearby. _'Come on man, there's a few other clearings with nepents in them and yet you're still sticking near me. What's your game?'_ Kirito wondered. He knew deep down that this player was up to no good.

Then a miracle happened. Already with only a few hours in the game. The nepent with the red flower on it's head spawned in.

Kirito was a blur. Before the other player could fully register that the nepent was there, Kirito had already killed it.

Kirito bit back a smirk. _'I can't freaking believe it! I thought I would be here for at least two days but I already got it!'_ Kirito thought ecstatically. He didn't know where this amazing luck appeared from but he wasn't about to question it.

Kirito saw the «Little Nepent's Ovule» appear in his inventory. He was about to walk away when something completely expected happened.

The player near him cut open a fruit, drawing every nepent nearby into the clearing.

 _'I knew it! That little bastard is actually trying to kill me!'_ Kirito's previous joy was beaten down by newfound rage. _'He's trying to kill me! Of all people! ME!'_ Kirito thought conceitedly. No, he wasn't about to let this slide.

He quickly navigated through his menu and activated his «Searching» skill. _'There you are you little punk.'_ Kirito spotted the player hiding in a nearby bush. He didn't even have to focus in on him because his skill found him instantly. The player was trying to hide without the «Hiding» skill. Big mistake. Hiding skill or not, it wouldn't save him from what was about to happen.

Kirito ran in the direction of the hiding player, putting all his strength into his legs. He ran past him and kept running on, not even sparing a single glance back. _'Whatever happens next is not my problem.'_ Kirito stoned his heart and his thoughts. He knew it was wrong to do this. But a guy like him had it coming.

The player was completely oblivious. He saw Kirito run past him shocked. He knew he couldn't stop him. All he could do was hide and wait until the herd was over.

The poor fool was clueless to the fact that little nepents did not use sight to hunt. Therefore, hiding from them would be pointless, even with the «Hiding» skill.

He was mobbed by them, health dropping to zero. His final cries of desperation were heard by no one as he shattered into particles.

* * *

Kirito made it back to the house where he started the quest. He tried to keep his mind from thinking on what he had just done. He knew that guy had died. There was no way for him to escape. Still, if he didn't do what he did to him, that guy could of done the same thing to a different player. He probably wouldn't be the last to do it as well.

He ignored the touching dialogue of the talking npc. He didn't really care what she said after already hearing it before. He was more excited on getting his «Anneal Blade» back. Already on the first day and he was level two with an «Anneal Blade».

Life was good.

After receiving the quest completion pop up, he scrolled through his menu for the sword and then paused.

Should he just go ahead and equip it? Or wait? Anyone who currently showed up in «Horunka Village» would no doubt be a beta tester. If they saw that he already had an «Anneal Blade», it would drag a lot of unwanted attention onto him.

He looked at his «Beginner's Sword». His first one had already broken and this one was already worn down by fifty percent.

 _'I suppose I can wait a little before equipping it.'_ There was no need to rush. He had the weapon days before he planned to. He'll just continue to use his current sword for the rest of the day. After it broke, he would buy another «Beginner's Sword» to wear inside towns. That way he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Out in the field, he would use the «Anneal Blade» and just avoid other players so they couldn't see it.

Kirito stepped out of the npc home and looked at the sky. The moon was going up. Players would probably be going to sleep at this time. Well, trying to sleep after all that had transpired. It was strange to see that only that one guy and himself were the only people who tried going for the «Anneal Blade» today. He expected at least a few more people to be smart and get ahead of the game.

 _'Guess it doesn't really matter anyway.'_ Kirito thought. He began walking to another house to start the only other quest he planned on doing in Horunka. The xp was the only good reward, and the quest could only be done a number of times before the system wouldn't allow anyone else to do it.

That was another reason why Kirito thought players would be in town. Certain quests could only be done a few times before no longer appearing as a quest. Some quests like «The Secret Medicine in the Forest» could be done an unlimited number of times, but only once per person. Some quests can only be done once for only one person, others only once for a few people, and other quests could be done only a few times, but a player could redo it several times. Quests that could be done by anyone anytime were generally pointless as they gave terrible xp and col.

Considering the quest he was headed to was limited, he expected beta testers to start pouring in. _'Maybe, they're too scared to leave the «Town of Beginnings». Whatever, I'm wasting time thinking about it.'_ Kirito wasn't even the slightest tired. After that adrenaline rush back at the nepents he was more than prepared to take on another quest.

He stayed up all night grinding.

* * *

It's been a week since then and Kirito was already at an impressive level six. He had also gotten some basic armor from quests and monster drops. The sun was going down and Kirito was currently at an npc's blacksmithing store in «Tolbana» to increase the strength on his «Anneal Blade».

It was one of the special perks in Sword Art Online. Most weapons can be upgraded from their base stats. He knew a few weapons could be upgraded to +5 on the first few floors. Those were good, but not as good as the «Anneal Blade» that could be upgraded to +10. Players could also choose what stats they wanted upgraded on their weapon. Kirito was solely going to focus on sharpness, and a little on durability. Reason he chose sharpness because he thought the tougher, the better, and durability because it was needed.

To upgrade your weapon, you had to have the right materials and col. Materials would vary between weapons. It was also better to find a player who had a high «Blacksmithing» skill to upgrade it but that would be awhile before anyone would have that. Kirito only had enough materials to upgrade his weapon twice. He had the npc smith put one upgrade into sharpness and the second to durability, giving him an «Anneal Blade +2».

The npc was a little rude but it didn't matter. Kirito placed his sword back on his back. _'Okay, looks like I'm all prepared to take on the hidden dungeon.'_ Kirito was getting prepared to conquer a secret dungeon in the game. It was a very difficult dungeon that was filled with traps and high leveled monsters. Not only that, but it was SUPER long. The dungeon had several parts. Probably meaning a player could come back a higher level after they played more of the game. He was able to beat the first part in the beta. He tried to do the second but could only go so far before the monsters in there completely outleveled him and he could no longer sneak past them.

It was the only time he nearly died.

Kirito grimaced recalling the events of the day when he first discovered it. He was embarrassed to say that he had to leave and come back better equipped to complete the first part. Most people wouldn't even be able to find it. He was pretty sure that he was the only one who actually did find it in the first place.

The dungeon was legitimately hidden between a rock and a hard place. There was also a hidden puzzle to open the dungeon up. After you left, the dungeon would close behind you and you would have to do the puzzle again to open it. The «Searching» skill did not reveal it's puzzle or even the dungeon itself. Only someone with super high awareness like himself could discover it.

Kirito began walking out of town to head for the dungeon. He had gotten a full night's sleep instead of his usual four-five hours. He wanted to be completely prepared for this risky task. He'd done it before. He was sure he could do it again.

He looked around. No one else was even in «Tolbana». He actually hadn't seen anyone ever since that day in Horunka. _'Maybe I'm just that far ahead of them.'_ He knew there had to be some players who were fighting. Not every single player would stay in the «Town of Beginnings». He assumed that there were players in Horunka by now. Even players who weren't in the beta could figure out how to get there by now. Especially if they teamed up with a beta tester.

Looking around, it was actually kind of nice to be the only real person in this ghost town. He already saw proof of what could happen when he interacted with other players. They just cause trouble. He didn't want to stress out about other people interfering with his gaming. These moments weren't gonna last forever. «Tolbana» was the last town on floor one so people would eventually get here and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Kirito made his way through the gates of «Tolbana» and began using his recently received «Sprinting» skill. He decided to go now because he was leveled up enough to defend himself and «Tolbana» was the closest town to the secret dungeon.

It took over an hour and the sun had fully went down, but he had finally made it to the dungeon.

Or so he thought.

He was standing in the place where the dungeon was but...

"IT'S NOT HERE!" Kirito shouted out in surprise. He looked around frantically. Nothing suspicious. It all just looked like normal rock! He began beating on the rocks. Maybe they hid it better? That didn't work either! He activated «Searching». He knew that «Searching» couldn't find it last time but maybe it can now!?

Nope. Absolutely nothing.

Kirito's eyebrow furrowed. He was getting angry. _'Kayaba... You better not of removed the dungeon or I swear...'_ It kinda made since. He removed the dungeon to avoid both people dying and receiving good items. But that wasn't the point! Only he found it and it's not like he would die!

He wasn't gonna give up yet though. He still had hope. He would look around. Maybe the dungeon was just moved. Or maybe it really is just harder to find. He'd search all night if he had too.

Kirito gave a small chuckle. _'I never actually thought that Kayaba would do something like this. He actually put a hole in my plans. Oh well.'_ If it really was removed, it would not only suck but also set his plans back quite a bit. The secret dungeon gave out a lot of high leveled equipment and a good amount of xp. That was the reason why it was so difficult in the first place. But if Kirito had to, he would find other ways to make up for the huge loss.

It took another hour of his night but Kirito found a discrepancy. The placement of the dungeon was almost identical to the first one. There was a few differences though. The first and obvious was that it was at a different location. The second was the puzzle. Previously, there was a small gap in the stone of the rock. A player could find the missing rock with a bunch of other rocks a few minutes away. The player would place the rock in the gap and the dungeon would open. This time, there was no missing rock, but a flower patch. There was a small gap between the flowers in the flowerbed. A missing flower.

Kirito knew he couldn't just get a flower and place it there. It wouldn't make much since. He took a closer look and it seemed as if a seed was already placed in the gap. _'Oh I see. These flowers must have already grown, and this one here has not yet bloomed.'_

He took a water flax out of his inventory and poured some water on the flower gap. Surprisingly, the missing flower shot right out of the dirt and bloomed just as brightly as it's peers. He heard a small click and the rock blocking the hidden entrance was moved.

Kirito sighed relived. He was glad that the dungeon wasn't removed. Losing an hour of time finding it was a lot better than losing it completely.

He then had an epiphany. _'The dungeon was moved. That means that the game was changed from the beta!.'_ What if this dungeon location wasn't the only thing different from the beta test. What if everything inside was different? What if future floors or towns were different? What about monsters? There were so many differences that could be changed from the original game!

He realized that he may just have to forget what he had previously learned from the beta. Sure he learned how to play. Everything else on the first floor was as accurate as it was in the beta. But that didn't mean that other information couldn't be different. Maybe quests were removed or locations were changed. Even monsters could have different abilities. If that was true then he knew he would have to be more careful. Now more than ever before.

This game was different. This isn't the same SAO he played before. This was SAO 2.0. He couldn't believe that he overlooked something so simple! _'Of course Kayaba had us beta test the game! It wasn't just to test bugs, but it was so he could make changes!'_ Like any other beta test in a video game, Sword Art Online's beta was there so Akihiko Kayaba could make any changes he saw fit.

 _'What a newbie move.'_ Kirito thought to himself. Well, he wouldn't make a mistake like this again. If he did, the next mistake could very easily kill him. It was a good thing he learned of this fact now when it wasn't dangerous instead of finding out the game was different in a life threatening situation. He mentally slapped himself and was now even more prepared. He was more pumped up than ever!

He entered the dungeon with a brand new mindset. He used to think he was prepared for anything. Now, he really was. He wasn't gonna lose.

For some reason, just like the last time he was here in the beta, the dungeon did not have a name. Every dungeon in the game had one except for this. _'Guess it's because it is suppose to be secret.'_

The rock blocking the dungeon rolled back into it's previous resting place. Kirito looked behind him and saw the switch to open the dungeon back up. He tested it and it worked. After shutting the entrance again, he proceeded ahead.

There it was. Already he spotted the first trap. A simple tripwire. Normally, simply walking over the wire would be safe, but if you did that then the floor would collapse. The player would fall into a pit hole. Either trapped, or dead. If you trigger the wire, it would send out an axe that would chop your head clean off. All you had to do to get passed the trap was to duck under the axe and keep going. The floor would be steeled and would now be safe to walk across. But he knew better now. This trap could easily be different, luring the player expecting the previous trap into a new one.

Kirito took a rock out of his inventory. He had a few in there just in case he needed to distract some monsters. He tossed the rock directly on the wire so it would be triggered. It was a good thing Kirito realized that the game was different beforehand because a huge square rock fell on the tripped wire. He knew if he was standing there, he wouldn't be able to move out of the way fast enough. He watched as two rock monsters rose from the top of the rock. He looked above their head.

 **Rock Golem**

 **Level 5**

Kirito withdrew his sword. These monsters seemed the same as they were in the beta. They were just located further inside the dungeon. They trudged their way towards Kirito at a slow place. They were tough, but slow. He easily sped past both. His sword lit up orange as he used the sword skill «Horizontal». He hit the joint on the golem's right arm, cutting it off.

The golem turned around and tried to hook him with it's left fist. He ducked past it and used «Horizontal» on the other golem that also cut it's right arm off. The golem who swung at him hit the square rock, making it's left fist stuck inside it. The second golem tried doing the same as the first. When it's fist fell towards him, he jumped on it, bringing the golem to the ground with momentum and hit the back of it's head with «Vertical». The golem shattered. The first golem was still stuck in the rock and before it could get loose, Kirito ran at it using «Lunge». He stabbed it in the back, killing it.

He looked around and saw that no other monsters spawned. He flicked his sword and sheathed it. Kirito activated «Searching» to see any other traps near or on the square rock. It was so huge that he couldn't walk around. He would have to climb over it. There didn't see any traps so he deemed it was safe to move forward.

 _'Only a minute in and I already could of died. I'm not as stupid as you think, Kayaba.'_ Kirito was fooled once, but that would NEVER happen again. Kirito didn't plan on being fooled again. _'I'm ready for your tricks Kayaba. Come and get me.'_ Kirito taunted in his head

It was nighttime. From experience, he would probably get out of here midday tomorrow. Considering that there are different aspects added to the dungeon, he would probably be in here longer. He was prepared for that. In fact, he wanted a challenge. What would be the fun in playing a game where everything you think would happen in it happens. That would be boring. Kirito expected this to be challenging.

And a whole lot of fun.

* * *

Well, he could definitely say the dungeon was challenging. After countless of hours, Kirito had made it to the end.

Kirito was at the chest that would conclude part one of the secret dungeon. It was the chest that SHOULD have high level armor. It was perfect for him considering it was light armor. He lifted his hand up into the menu signal and just dropped his arm to open it. He was tired. Moving was currently a struggle. Looking at the in-game clock he saw that it took over twenty four hours to get to this point. But if the same gear that used to be in the chest was still inside, it would all be worth it.

He knew this wasn't a trap. If he was wrong, he had an escape route. He still had to be quiet though. There were level twenty two grass monsters just outside this room. They were super dangerous. They threw leaves that were sharper than needles. If one pierced him, there was a good change he'd die. He leveled up five times in here which made him level eleven. Even though he was nearly twice the level he was when he started, he knew he couldn't beat several level twenty two monsters. He told himself, "know your limits". Wise words. If you didn't know your limits, you'll bite off more than you can chew and kill yourself.

Kirito slowly made his way towards the chest. Slowly opening it.

The item screen appeared.

 **Items Received:**

 **«Leather Chest of Defiance»**

 **«Pants of Defiance»**

 **«Gloves of Defiance»**

 **«Boots of Defiance»**

A tired smirk of victory appeared on Kirito's face. Yes, looking at the armor and its stats, they was exactly the same as they were in the beta. He definitely needed this gear too. All his gear he walked in with was shattered. His boots were gone, gloves nowhere to be seen, light armor broken. He was left in just his black sweatshirt, pants, and socks. Even his «Anneal Blade +2» was near depleted of it's life. Pretty soon it was gonna shatter as well. His smirk fell. Not only was he reminded of his decrepit weapon but he realized that he still had to walk all the way out of here and then back to «Tolbana». Teleporting crystals don't show up on the first few floors so teleporting back into town was out.

Kirito gave an exasperated sigh. He would have to avoid as much confrontation as possible. That also meant he would be taking the safe routes back. The safe routes meant the long routes.

It was gonna be a long walk.

* * *

Kirito's feet ached. It took awhile but he finally walked through the gates of «Tolbana» after his long travel. True to his word, the safe routes took him an extra hour of walking but at least his sword was still alive. It was still nighttime out. Or rather, it was the next nighttime.

He was tired. He just wanted to go to bed. He was running on fumes now. Feet feeling like anchors, he made his way back to the inn he'd already paid for ahead of time.

Closing the door, Kirito didn't even take off his sword as he dropped face first into his bed, out like a light.

* * *

When Kirito awoke, he felt extremely refreshed. Letting out a big yawn and stretching his arms, he looked at his menu clock and seen that he had slept for twelve hours. If it was any other day then Kirito would of been angry because he wasted grinding time but after what happened yesterday, he didn't mind.

He scrolled through his menu to look at his newly obtained items. First, the Defiance gear. It was high leveled. Higher than any equipment he'd actually seen inside the game. The armor would at least last up to floor ten. It'd probably hold up closer to floor twenty.

The leather chest, gloves, and boots were all azure in color. They were embroidered in black stitching that was super comfortable. The pants were the same except they were black embroidered with azure stitching. He put them on. Like most light armor, the chest was sleeveless and showed his black sleeves on his normal sweatshirt.

All in all, the gear looked super fancy. If any other player saw him in it, they would no doubt approach him. Either wanting to know how he got it or any tips on playing because he was obviously a beta tester. He didn't want any of that. It's actually the sole reason why he never used it in the beta, only equipping it in inns like this one.

He didn't want ANYONE knowing how he'd gotten his hands on stuff like this. Course, now that he was trapped in the game, he'd end up showing it eventually, but not yet. It was too soon to show anyone that he had it. He could equip and use it out on the fields where no one was around but inside towns, he'll have to switch to store bought armor.

Kirito didn't want to waste money on store bought equipment but he had no choice. If he wanted to stay invisible to people, he would have to look like them. Well, he didn't know what they looked liked but he assumed they would wear store bought gear. There was only so much stuff to go around so not every player would have gear from quests or monster drops.

The second item he looked at was the ring he had received. Rings were not even suppose to be in the game until floor five. He didn't even find it while he was in the beta. It was a nice find but he almost missed it. The ring was hanging from the ceiling on a string. He only barely saw it out of the corner of his eye and had to parkour his way up the bumpy walls to get to it. Luckily, he retrieved the item safely.

The rings in the beta were pretty garbage. They normally gave +1 in defense or strength. Better ones were probably +2 strength and +2 defense. Still, they did help boost stats and were almost weightless so they weren't useless. Looking at this ring's abilities he seen that they were incredible. It was called «Ring of Charos». It gave +4 to all of his stats. Very good for a ring. It also had a special ability. It allowed the user to "charm" anyone. It wouldn't work on real people but on npcs. It meant that if the user talked to an npc with the ring equipped, they would automatically be nicer to them. Npcs who sold items would even give the user discounts or even free handouts! Even if Kirito eventually got a better ring, this one would never lose it's benefactor.

Kirito was definitely keeping this item.

Scrolling through his menu, Kirito began to look at the other items he received during the dungeon. He had a bunch of col so there was no need to worry about that anytime soon. He had a bunch of high level materials. He couldn't use any for his sword because they weren't the right ones but he could still sell some and get profit from that. _'I'll sell the weaker and unneeded materials and keep the rest. They'll be useful in the future.'_ Kirito planned ahead. He could use some of the materials to upgrade the «Queen's Knightsword» when he got it. They could be used for other things as well.

He closed his inventory and went to his character stats. After all that leveling, he had a bunch of points to spend in stats. Leveling in SAO was simple. Every time you leveled up, your base stats increased by a small margin. The player would also receive five points that they could spend on their stats to also increase them. Average video gamers would always even out their stats. Defense, health, strength, and agility would all be about the same. That wasn't the best way to play SAO. It was best to choose what role you plan to play and then put your points into the necessary stats. Kirito assumed now that SAO was a death game, most people would probably dump points into health and defense.

That would be a pretty stupid move. Sure you would be safe, but not invincible. They could still die on a boss or a tough mob. Kirito didn't plan on playing like that. He wanted to hit hard and fast. He would leave stuff like defense and health to the equipment he wore. Pretty much all armor gives defense and health but barely any give speed or strength. He would spend three points on his strength and two on agility for every level he gained. His defense may not be the greatest, but he would never have to worry if his enemies couldn't hit him.

Kirito took off the Defiance armor and put his normal clothes back on. Just in case a player snuck up on him, he didn't want them seeing what he had. He closed his menu and stepped outside the inn. Just as he expected, no one was here. _'Looks like I still got some time to myself.'_ Kirito was sure going to miss these moments.

He walked to the general store placing the «Ring of Charos» on. He sold the materials he didn't need and the npc actually gave him 25% more than they were worth! When he bought himself some cheap leather armor, it was given to him half off!

This ring truly was incredible. He was glad he spotted it while inside the dungeon. Kirito equipped his newly bought armor, finally having boots on instead of walking around in just socks. He began to walk to the blacksmith to repair his sword. The previously grumpy npc was a lot nicer this time around and repaired his sword for free saying "Just this once." Kirito could definitely get used to this.

He reequipped his fully repaired weapon and began walking towards his next quest. There were still a few quests in «Tolbana» that were worth doing. Glancing at his top left, he looked at his health bar. It was very satisfying to see his hp over a thousand and his level at eleven.

It had only been about nine days since everything started. Kirito had gotten himself to level eleven, some overpowered armor, a fantastic ring, and an «Anneal Blade +2».

It was good to be him.

* * *

 **That's it. How was it everyone? Good chapter? Bad? Feel free to let me know.**

 **I have a few things to say this chapter. The first one is about the secret dungeon Kirito entered. The secret dungeon is actually canon, I just changed it. It used to be around the Town of Beginnings and it was Kibaou who discovered it. It was also a lot different. It's that dungeon with The Fatal Scythe boss on episode twelve of season one. I cut it into different parts so that the deeper you go, the tougher it gets. I'm sorry if some of you guys don't like that I did this. I wanted to elaborate on how much better Kirito will be than the other players. This means higher levels and better equipment and I thought of no better place than this secret dungeon.**

 **The second thing I need to say is about the Ring of Charos. If no one actually figured it out, that item came from the game Runescape. I changed some of it's abilities but it is basically the same. Sorry if you guys dislike this fact as well. I will try to avoid using any real video game reference, but I thought a ring like that would be pretty useful on Kirito's journey. Quick disclaimer that I do not own the Ring of Charos.**

 **The third thing is fight scenes. I know that there aren't a lot of them because I keep using time skips that go over them. I do that because it would be boring. Currently, the only fighting scenes I have are about Kirito grinding. In case you haven't played a video game, grinding is super boring. I don't want to waste anyone's time writing out boring scenes of Kirito fighting monsters for xp. I promise there will be more fight scenes in the future that will not be about him grinding for items and xp.**

 **Lastly, I wanted to talk about the leveling system in Sword Art Online. I have looked up some information and read several other fanfictions and they all have different ways on how the system works. The one I used in this fanfiction is my interpretation on how the leveling system works. I hope it is satisfactory.**

 **Other than that, I hope you enjoyed reading. Take care.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, I already have over one hundred followers on this story. I honestly thought I wouldn't get this far for a long time. Thank you all for your support.**

 **Now I know that the story has not been updated in awhile. I'm really sorry for making you wait, I've just been very busy recently. Having major internet problems and starting up college has been most of the reason why. Plus I still have to update my other fanfiction. It is a Naruto fanfiction centered around Boruto. Even though I haven't touched it in awhile, I still plan to update it after this chapter. So if you're into that genre, feel free to check it out. However, the chapters posted on it aren't that good, so don't expect much. Still, I don't want to disappoint you guys, so hopefully soon, I will be able to come up with a regular updating schedule.**

 **Before you read, I have a very important question for you guys. Should I create a few sub-arcs into the story such as quests and events? Now before you give me an answer, let me explain. If you couldn't already tell, Kirito is going to be much different than he is in canon. This also means strength/skill wise. I plan on giving him a few bonuses that will better shape him into the pro player he is. As such, a new story takes place amongst receiving these buffs. This is where the question comes in. Should I spend the time writing out a sub-arc on how Kirito got his bonuses or should I glance it over in a time skip? An example of glancing it over was when Kirito became a pro in the game RAIZE as well as winning the tournament. Another example would be the secret dungeon he adventured in. I summarized the events that took place in those sub-arcs, but did not actually spend time writing them out in full length. Considering on how I plan on writing this story, these sub-arcs (quests, events, etc.) may happen quite a few times. I think it is interesting on having variety in your story and making up cool ways to portray your characters, BUT I really dislike it when writers drag out unnecessary plot points. It makes the story boring when they stray too far off the main plot. I could also only write the ones that are most appealing and glance over the more uninteresting ones. Please, I need to know what you guys want. Whatever you choose is how the story is going to be shaped.**

 **Again, sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"I can't believe it." Kirito said to himself.

It was the second week of the death game. Earlier in the morning, Kirito had searched for the boss room, only to figure out that it was moved from it's original location in the beta. He had just gotten back into town when...

 _Clack, clack, clack._ Boots walked across the gravel as voices began sounding throughout the town. Groups upon groups of people had just entered «Tolbana».

"When did so many npc's come into town?"Kirito said in denial. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. It was all a nightmare. Surely Kayaba was just messing with him. There's just no way these people could possibly be...

Players... Right?

He tried to ignore it, but as each day past, more and more of them showed up, like a perpetual cycle that would repeat itself for eternity...

Where the hell did all these guys come from!? They were practically sprouting from the damn ground!

Days later, and it carried on without fail. Players of all sorts of looks, colors, and equipment poured into the vast town of «Tolbana». What previously lay a vacant city was now the hot spot of all of Aincrad. And with each passing day, Kirito's happiness slowly dissipated into a deep, dark trench, like it was never there to begin with.

Now, it had almost been a month since the death game began. Currently, Kirito was sitting on a bench near the center of town, dressed in basic, everyday gear, water flax in hand, feeling tired, and pissed off.

"I can't believe it." Kirito muttered to himself for the one-thousandth time. It was all gone. The ambiance, the peacefulness, the walking space! It was so perfect, and it was snatched away from him all too quickly. "I wish I could've enjoyed it more." Kirito said, reminiscing the good old days.

He'd already found the new location for the boss room a few days ago. Since «Tolbana» was packed full of players, he abstained from entering it as much as possible. Sometimes, he'd sleep in trees in the forest just to get away from them. Because he was away from «Tolbana» so much, he had a lot of spare time to look around in the dungeon and sure enough, he found the boss room.

Kirito felt another sigh escape him. Nothing about the situation he was in was good. He tried to think of the positives with having other players around, but couldn't think of a single one. He couldn't even wear his good gear in here. It was bad enough he drew attention because of his «Anneal Blade».

The town square was a little more noisy than usual. Looking in the direction of the noise, Kirito saw that a bunch of players were forming around something.

The crowd also drew attention from other nearby players. In the middle of the group, there was a player with an awfully fancy sword on his hip. The sword just so happened to be the much sought after «Anneal Blade». His buddies were surrounding him in awe as he stood up straight, chest puffed up in pride and arrogance. The sword arose a lot of attention, and he definitely wasn't shy about showing it off.

They weren't the only players who had «Anneal Blades». Most players figured out that «The Secret Medicine in the Forest» quest rewarded the strongest weapon on the beginner floors. This was probably because a beta tester leaked the information. If Kirito didn't know any better, he'd say it was Argo the Rat.

She was the best info-broker a player could find. If you needed to know something about the game, chances are, she'd know it. Kirito never really needed her though. It wasn't like they've never met before, as they've shared info with one another plenty of times in the beta. It's just that everything she knew about SAO was information he'd already known or figured out.

He deleted her and every other friend on his friends list when the beta test ended. He wanted to remain anonymous so he could have the best gaming experience possible, and he couldn't remain anonymous with other people knowing who he was, especially if that person was Argo.

«The Secret Medicine in the Forest» was currently the most popular quest, and almost everyone knew about it. The only problem was the other people doing it.

Just like Kirito predicted, players were MPK'ing other players. More often then not, they were successful. It's a good thing that the ovule only rarely spawns in, so deaths haven't occurred a whole lot. Still, it wouldn't stop with just this quest. People will continue to harm and kill each other for good items.

As long as they survived, then who cares?

A few players have already banded together to try to prevent any sort of violence between others. Kirito couldn't help but have a little respect for them. Even though they have a chance of dying in this game, they still look out for other people.

 _'At least some people can step up and lead... They'd be better than me anyway.'_ He hated thinking about it. Every time he thought about his decision to abandon the other players, a huge amount of guilt made its way to his stomach. He couldn't stand it, so he did his best to ignore it and pretend that players wouldn't need his help.

They'd be okay on there own.

Another player looked at him, and he saw their eyes trail up to his back where his sword laid. The sword was difficult to get now more than ever. With so many people attempting the quest, you'd be lucky if you even seen the ovule. Looks like he made the right choice to complete the quest before doing anything else. At most, there were probably about ten players who owned an «Anneal Blade», including him. _'I bet their «Anneal Blades» aren't +10 though.'_ Kirito thought, trying to cheer himself up.

It took a lot of grinding out in the field, but Kirito managed to get himself an «Anneal Blade +10». Eight of the upgrades were used on sharpness, while the other two were used on durability. He really didn't care much for using upgrades on durability, but because he was almost always out in the field, his weapon's durability fell rather quickly. It was much more convenient to use two upgrades on durability than run back and forth to a blacksmith.

Kirito overheard another group of players talking to each other. "Hey man. Did ya here? There's a bunch of guys that are gonna meet up tomorrow in the amphitheater at 7:00 a.m. Rumor says that their gonna talk about how to find and beat the first floor boss. You wanna go?" The player said excitedly. "Yeah-" Kirito tuned them out after that.

 _'So, they're having a meeting on the first boss already?'_ Earlier that day, Kirito was out grinding in the dungeon when he heard sounds of walking. He hid behind a rock with his «Hiding» skill. It was a full party of players decked out in gear. Players like them were what would pass as the strongest in the game right now. Other than him, of course. They were headed directly to the boss room. After a few moments, they walked back with both happiness and anxiousness. He knew they found the boss room. The only reason he was grinding out here in the dungeon instead of the «Deep Forest» was so he would know firsthand if someone found it. He didn't expect them to call for a meeting right after finding the boss room, but it didn't matter.

He took a drink from his flask. _'I wonder how mom and Sugu are doing.'_

He missed them, but this was for the best. He disgraced them for the last time, especially Sugu. She would never forgive him for what he done, and he doubted that she would ever want to see him again. She was probably happy that he was trapped in this game. At least she didn't have to berate him anymore. The National Kendo Tournament was a couple weeks ago, and he didn't have a second doubt that she would win.

 _'Looks like I missed that one, too.'_ He grimaced, depressing himself further. It was best not to think about it. He was stuck in here now, so the real world didn't matter anymore. As far as he's concerned, it doesn't even exist.

Kirito sighed, glancing up at his level.

 **Kirito**

 **LV: 17**

He was mildly proud of himself. He wanted to be level eighteen before any other players found the boss room, but couldn't accomplish it in time. It was a long shot anyways. In SAO, xp was surprisingly hard to come by. Any player can go out and grind, but grinding for several hours takes it's toll. It gets even harder to level once you've out-leveled every other monster on the current floor. Nobody's had that problem yet, except for Kirito. Even grinding against the toughest monster on floor one, the «Dire Wolf», would take him days to level up.

Finishing his drink, he decided it was time to walk back to his inn room. He grinded for nearly twenty hours today, so he needed some sleep. It was about 5:00 p.m. and most players were still active. Afternoons were always the best times for Kirito to sleep. Once everyone was asleep at night, Kirito would wake up and grind. For normal players, this would be inconvenient, as it is harder to see and there are more monsters out, but for Kirito, it was perfect. Besides, he preferred nighttime anyway.

He stepped inside the inn, and overheard another conversation. This one more specific to him.

"No way man, Kirito is definitely alive! I'm sure of it! He's the best player in the game!" A player said to his friend.

"Well where is he? Surely someone must've found him by now. It's almost been a month and we haven't even gotten past the first floor. Either he chickened out and is hiding in the «Town of Beginnings», or he's dead."

"Dude I'm telling you, Kirito's alive! He has to be! There's no way we could beat this game without him..." The player said, defending Kirito.

"Give it up man, he's gone. We can't just wait around for him to appear, if he ever does."

"..." The player went silent.

Kirito sighed and headed up the stairs towards his room. He sat down on his bed, his thoughts trailed back to the other players, and how he abandoned them.

Evidently, while he was off doing his own thing, everyone in the «Town of Beginnings» was asking for him. "We need Kirito! Where is Kirito!? Dont worry, Kirito will save us!" Apparently, everyone who'd gotten a copy of SAO knew about him, and apparently, everyone thought he'd be their knight in shining armor. That he'd be the one to defeat Akihiko Kayaba and release them from this hellhole.

Apparently, they thought wrong.

Kirito didn't know how to approach the situation. It wasn't like he could come out and say, "Hey everyone! I'm Kirito! Sorry I was gone for a month! I was to busy avoiding you!" He couldn't just do something like that, nor did he want to. There was no way he could expose himself to the public. It would be like RAIZE all over again. Every time he logged in, or in this case, stepped outside, he would be bombarded by other players. He couldn't stand being around them. He understood why they liked him, and why they needed him, but he didn't care. He wasn't gonna let SAO end up like RAIZE. He came to this game to have fun, and his fun would be ruined if he revealed himself.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he took off his equipment and laid down with an arm over his eyes. There was no way to fix this. If the public ever found out about him, they'd undoubtedly be pissed off at him. They would probably accuse him for abandoning them and stealing all the good items for himself. He would probably be ridiculed and hated by everyone. There wouldn't be a single person who wouldn't know his face and there wouldn't be a single thing he could do about it. The worst part was...

They'd have every right to be angry.

Kirito WAS suppose to help them. Kirito WAS suppose to be the knight in shining armor. Kirito WAS suppose to be their beacon of hope. Kirito WAS suppose to guide them to success, and prevent as much deaths as possible.

To get them out safely.

Why? Why was Kirito supposed to do all these things for people he didn't even know?

Because Kirito was the best.

Only the best step up in times of crisis to save those in danger. The players who couldn't fight needed a hero, someone to rely on. He knew, deep down, it was HIS responsibility to get them out of the game.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't step up to the position. He would never admit it, but he was afraid. He was avoiding responsibility. The only reason he even played video games in the first place was because he never had to worry about anything. He could freely do what he liked without any repercussions. Without a care in the world. But now, everyone here is trapped inside a death game, forced to fight for their lives.

But he ignored it. If he truly wanted to, he could guide everyone and beat the game easily. He had the power!

But like always, he was just... running away.

Running away from the real world, his family, Suguha, people in general. He played SAO to forget his problems and to become someone he wasn't, or would ever be. To be Kirito.

Before all this started, Kirito DID help players, Kirito WAS fearless, and even though he didn't like it, Kirito WAS the guy everyone looked up to. Kirito was...

The hero.

None of this would even matter if SAO was a normal game. He would play solo and no one would care. Now that their lives are at risk, they suddenly want him to step up and lead them to victory.

But he wouldn't. He wanted to play the game. Just because Kayaba added death to the game didn't matter. It wasn't gonna stop him from playing. He knew it was selfish. To abandon everyone else all because he wanted to play a video game. It was a horrible act. Unforgivable.

So he ran from it.

He wasn't the hero anymore. He wasn't 'Kirito.' He was a kid who wanted to play a game. The unmasked Kazuto Kirigaya.

The kid who always ran.

* * *

It had just hit 1:00 a.m. Street lights dimmed the town as players were inside their inns, sleeping the night away. Kirito had just woken up fifteen minutes ago. He was scrolling through his menu with lightning speed and precision, triple checking his items to make sure he had everything he needed.

He placed a safe number amount of potions on his belt in case he needed a quick heal, and then he equipped his armor of «Defiance», as well as his «Ring of Charos». He looked outside the window with «Searching», making absolute sure there wasn't any other players still roaming the streets. He was sure it was safe to come out. If there was anyone, he could hide in an alleyway's shadow and outrun them. Having his gear equip was a must today.

Because he was planning to take on the first floor boss. Alone.

If it was any other player, they would laugh at you, saying that fighting a boss on your own was impossible, calling you crazy. For Kirito, going one on one with a boss would be an achievement. There wasn't a single person in the beta who ever solo'd a boss before. The only sort of major accomplishment people knew of was Kirito soloing a mini boss on floor seven. A couple other players tried to copy him and solo their own mini boss.

Needless to say, it didn't end so well for them. People began praising Kirito even more for his skill as a pro gamer. As impressive as it was, Kirito wasn't content. He wanted to be the kind of player who could solo floor bosses, not just a random mini boss. Ever since the beta, he'd been hoping that the day where he would have a chance to fight a floor boss by himself would come.

That day was today.

Quietly opening the door, Kirito crept out of the inn and outside onto the street. He used «Searching» once more, doubling checking for any wandering players.

It was better to be safe then sorry.

Once again, there was no one in sight. Deeming it safe to proceed, Kirito quickly left town and onto the path of the dungeon.

Monsters appeared next to him to knock him off course, but he easily sidestepped them. It was pointless to waste anymore time killing them off. If he was a lower level, he might of had a problem with the number of mobs that were spawning, but at his level, they couldn't even damage him.

Kirito was confident he would win. He was a strong level seventeen, way over leveled for the first boss. He heard around town that a "strong" player would be around level eight or nine. A few really good ones have even hit level ten. It felt good knowing you were seven levels above the top players. In SAO, your numbers meant everything.

He equipment was also top tier. It was the strongest he'd ever seen anywhere, including the beta test. It was leaps and bounds better than anything else you could get for awhile. Each armor piece gave him major boosts to his defense and health stats. A nice bonus they gave was that the gloves had a 5% strength boost, and the boots had a 5% speed boost.

Kirito had arrived in the area before the dungeon entrance, the «Deep Forest». There was a walking path that split the forest into two sides. Along this path would lead directly to the door to the dungeon. This path was fairly safe. Monsters rarely spawn on the path, while most of them spawn inside the forest.

He opened his menu to check the time. It had only taken him nine minutes to get here. He had more than enough time to fight the boss. He was just about at the halfway point when he heard the sounds of wolves howling and crystals shattering.

 _'Wait a sec. There are players out here? At this time of night?'_ Kirito thought, surprised. It was common knowledge that nighttime was the most dangerous time to fight. Out on the open fields, it wouldn't be much of a problem, but it was way more dangerous inside the «Deep Forest».

The only mobs that spawned inside the «Deep Forest», were the «Dire Wolves». The forest was their turf. They range from level eight to ten, and come in packs. In the daytime, only two or three spawned in at a time. Fighting them would be difficult, but efficient, as their drops were good.

Nighttime was a different story though. The minimum amount of wolves that spawned at night was always three, that could go as high as six. Each wolf was always level ten. Plus, there is a greater chance for the mini boss to spawn. The «Dire Wolf Leader».

She was also level ten, but level numbers on bosses were deceiving. It's strength surpassed a normal wolf's by a huge margin. It was also three times their size, and had two health bars. You did NOT want to come across her. Most players run away. Only a select few of players have banded together and beaten it. Kirito had solo'd it a few times by now. It wasn't to difficult for him, since he knew it's patterns and his level was greater. It was actually how he managed to increase his sword's strength to its max.

More often than not, you wouldn't have to worry about it spawning in, as long as you don't go too deep in the forest If you stayed on the outskirts of the forest or walkway, the «Dire Wolf Leader» would never spawn, and you could grind on the normal ones without worrying.

Because those players were so deep inside the forest, there was a HUGE chance of the boss spawning.

Kirito's footsteps slowed to a stop. He was debating if he should go check out the noise and see if they were okay, or to keep on walking. His morale began guilt trip him. Those players could die if they weren't careful. As deep as they were in the forest, the boss could spawn at any time. Maybe that was the point, and they wanted the boss to spawn?

In the end, his morale won out, and he decided to at least spy on them. He didn't plan on interfering with their fight.

He bent low and crept up to the noise. He used his «Hiding» skill so he wouldn't be detected, in case one of them had the «Searching» skill. He doubt any of them could see past his high leveled «Hiding».

 _'I'm sure they know what their doing. The guidebook even said to be careful in the «Deep Forest».'_ During the first week, Argo and a few other beta testers wrote out a guide book for the beginners. It only cost ten col, and they were purchasable at any store.

Hiding behind a bush, he peeked over it to see who these players were...

Or... Player?

 _'What? There's only one person here?'_ Kirito thought, surprised for the second time. Keeping «Searching» activated, he looked around to see if anyone was hiding. Sure enough, only he and the player were around. He couldn't see who the player was because the figure wore a red cloak with their hood covering their face. The player used a rapier, and was facing off against two «Dire Wolves». The player's health bar was in the red zone, and it seemed that they were beginning to tire out. They dodged a wolf and struck the second right between the eyes. It died, and the remaining «Dire Wolf» pounced on them from behind.

Kirito unconsciously reached for his sword, preparing to save them from dying, when the player suddenly whipped around and stabbed it through it's open jaws, killing it.

 _'He's got a pretty good reaction time.'_ Kirito thought, taking his hand off his sword.

The player was breathing hard, and placed their hands on their knees. After catching their breath, they sheathed their rapier and walked over to a nearby tree. The player sat down and took their hood off.

Kirito's eyes widened. _'H-Holy crap! It's a girl!'_ Never in a million years would he of thought the player would be female. ' _She's... really pretty.'_ He couldn't help but stare at her beauty. There was no way a girl this cute would be playing SAO, right?

The girl had an ethereal appearance. Delicate amber hair that glistened in the moonlight, big doe eyes that held the prettiest color of hazel, creamy white skin that looked softer than any pillow, and the most perfect figure that any guy could ever wish for. All in all, she was the most beautiful girl Kirito had ever seen.

 _'Wow...'_ Was all Kirito could think as he stared her down behind the bush.

He watched as she opened her menu, taking out a few health potions. Her face held a disdainful look, and she squinted her eyes when she gulped down the red liquid. She gave an audible sigh of relief when she checked her hp bar was no longer red.

The girl began scrolling through her menu again. From the grump look on her face, it seemed she was having trouble navigating through it. Her pouting was rather cute in his eyes.

She managed to find what she was looking for, pulling out a water flask and a low-tier loaf of bread. _'Wait, she's taking a break now?'_ Kirito thought as the girl began to eat. ' _Doesn't she know that its way to dangerous to start eating right now!? Just because she wants to take a break doesn't mean the wolves will stop spawning! They could spring up on her any second!'_ Kirito palmed his face. He thought that she may have been a beta tester, considering her skills with a blade, but now he could clearly tell she was a total noob. No one in the beta would make such an amateur mistake like taking a break that far inside the «Deep Forest».

 _'What should I do?'_ Kirito thought to himself. _'Should I approach her and tell her she's in danger?_ Kirito was torn between helping her, or leaving her and continue on to the boss room. She was cluelessly in danger. She's too distracted in her meal to focus on anything else. Maybe he really should help her. Then again, she obviously wanted to be left alone.

Looking in her eyes, he got a vague sense of familiarity in them. It was strange. It wasn't that he knew her, but something about her eyes made him feel something very familiar inside. It was almost like they said she was...

Running away.

Kirito gulped down his nervousness. He made his decision. It was time to be a man. Whether she liked it or not, he had to help her.

 _'This is so surreal.'_ Kirito thought. It was almost like she was some sort of damsel in distress and he was here to save the day.

Well, that's what he thought about it, anyway.

Kirito stepped out from behind the bush. _'Be brave!'_ He told himself, trying to calm his nerves. This may be the toughest challenge this game had thrown at him.

Talking to a girl.

"U-Uh, h-hey there." Kirito said, putting his hand up in a waving gesture. The girl jolted slightly, looking in his direction with wide eyes. Before he could say anything else to her, she'd already put her hood back over her face, her body becoming rigid.

 _'W-Woah! That was lightning fast!'_ He was surprised by how fast she could put her hood back on. She must have done it hundreds of times. He decided to ask her about it. "You know, I've already seen your face, there's no point in hiding it anymore." Kirito said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

The girl didn't show any recognition to his comment and continued sitting there, not moving a single muscle. ' _Not very friendly, huh?'_ Kirito thought, his plan of attack shattering into a million pieces. "U-Um, ah, I-"

"Go away."

That surprised him, and he felt himself recoil. He didn't expect her to talk so suddenly. "Why?"

"Because I said so." The girl seemed angry at him.

 _'Good going Kirito, you say two words to her and she already hates you.'_ Kirito belittled himself. _'Oh well, nothing to lose now, I guess.'_

He decided to skip any sort of formalities and just wing it. "Why are you out here all by yourself?" Kirito asked, slowly walking next to her and sat down. The girl immediately scooted a few feet away from him.

"That's none of your business." The girl said, sounding more annoyed.

"B-But you know th-"

"I can take care of myself." The girl interrupted again. "Don't even think that I'm some damsel in distress who needs some boy to save her. I am perfectly capable of doing things by myself. Don't even think about making a move on me, or I'll beat the crap out of you." She told him off.

Here he was, going out of his way to try to save her life, and she had the nerve to call him out? No, he wasn't having it. He felt his shoulders stiffen and his eyes narrow. "Now listen here." He said, his voice turning serious. "I don't think you know, but your in serious danger right now. I only stopped here to help you, not so I could get bitched at."

"Oh yeah right! Your just tryi-"

"No I'm not!" Kirito raised his voice over hers, cutting her off. "Think about it! You were fighting a hole bunch of wolves a second ago! You think they're going to magically stop fighting you so you can take a break!?"

The girl's anger receded into shock. She went silent, and her head turned down. She opened her mouth to say something, only to shut it again. Kirito looked away in irritation. The atmosphere was heavy, and the only sound that could be heard was from a few ravens on nearby branches. The girl finally spoke up.

"Oh." Was all she could think to say.

Kirito looked back at her. Her hood blocked her facial expression, but he knew that she must of realized that he was right.

"Sorry." She spoke again. From the sound of her voice, she was being truthful.

He sighed. "Don't worry about it. If I was in your shoes and a stranger walked up to me like that, I would've told them off too." Kirito said, knowing he'd of reacted the same way she did.

"Still... it was rude of me to assume you were hitting on me. I guess it's happened so much that I've gotten used to it." His eyes widened from that. She wasn't being some stuck up bitch because she wanted to, but because she had to.

"Oh I see now." He realized. "I guess when people saw your face, and they saw how pretty you were, they began approaching you in hopes of getting lucky." He assumed.

"When guys see how pretty I am, huh?" She quoted him. His shoulders stiffened up again.

 _'Crap! I just called her pretty!'_

"I-uh." He stammered, feeling her glare at him. "Oh come on, give me a break." He sighed out exasperatedly.

"Hmph." He heard from her. He thought she was angry at him again until he saw a barely visible smirk from under her hood.

 _'Is she teasing me?'_ He thought, his nerves wandering in multiple directions.

"It's alright." She said. "I guess it's okay if you think I'm pretty." He could feel the mischievous smirk on her face get bigger. "Still, I don't appreciate being yelled at. Apologize and I'll forgive you."

 _'This girl.'_ Whoever she was, she really knew how to get on his nerves. He sighed again. "Okay, okay, you win. I'm sorry." He said in defeat.

"Hmph." The girl wore a cocky smirk. "So Mr. Fancy Pants, what's your name?" The girl teased him even further.

He ignored her rudeness. 'Fancy _pants? Wha- Oh...'_ He'd almost forgotten. He had on his Defiance gear right now. _'Well, I doubt it even matters if a noob like her sees it."_ He could tell that she was a complete beginner at the game, she probably didn't even care about his equipment. Although, he wasn't about to let her get away with calling him that. It was his turn to smirk. "Oh? How crude, asking someones name without giving out your own. Very improper for a "pretty" lady such as yourself, miss." He knew he'd gotten her.

He could see her cheeks puff up under her hood. "Oh you think your clever huh? Well I just so happened to figure out that your a beta tester!" She pointed at him, saying the two forbidden words.

Even a noob like her knew about the hatred people had towards the beta testers. Evidently, the beta testers ran off with all the good loot and quests, leaving all the beginners in the dust. That was only half true. Only self-centered beta testers like himself were apart of the half that left the beginners to fend for themselves, but the other half really did help them, hence the release of the guidebook. Still, not even the guidebook got rid of the hatred people had for betas.

Her knowledge didn't bother him though. "Did it really take you that long to figure it out? Wow, maybe you should dye your hair blonde so that you'd at least have a reason to act so stupid." He knew he may of crossed the line with that one, but it was time for some payback.

She gasped and her head whipped around to face him. "I am not stupid!" Unbeknownst to her, the hood covering her face fell off, directly revealing her beauty to him.

His heart skipped. Now that he had an even closer look at her, it was confirmed. She was no doubt the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, real or otherwise. He'd never even dreamed of a girl this hot. His jaw dropped.

She continued to glare at him. "Take that back!" She shouted. After he said nothing, she spoke again. "Why are you so silent!? Answer me!" The girl noticed his stunned expression, and began to get creeped out when he suddenly pointed to her face. She had no idea what he was referring to until she felt a cool breeze hit her hair. Looking behind her, she saw her hood had fallen off her head.

"Wah!" She shrieked away. The hood was back on her head at lightning speed, and she stiffly turn towards him. "Did you see?" She asked, nervously.

 _'What? Did I see? Is she seriously saying that?'_ She reacted like he'd just walked in on her while she was naked.

"Y-Yeah, of course I saw." He stuttered. He felt a glare coming from under her hood. "A-Are you seriously getting mad at me? It was your fault." She scoffed and crossed her arms. He sighed. "You really shouldn't make a big deal out of it."

"I don't have a choice but to make a big deal out of it. If I show my face to others, everyone in the vicinity starts to surround me. They spout things like protecting me from harm, but I know what they really want..."

She went quiet. Kirito was at a lost for words.

 _'She's just like me.'_ He knew exactly where she was coming from. Ever since 'Kirito' became a famous pro gamer, he was practically trampled on by his fans. It may seem great, but for a guy like him, it was bothersome. _'I see. That's why she wears the hood.'_

He gulped down his nervousness. The ambiance between them was getting thick, so he decided to alleviate the tension. "Yeah I can see why. Your hot." He said daringly.

She punched him in his arm. "Jerk." Looking away, she hid her smile. She understood what he was trying to do. It was... kind of sweet. A dust of pink brushed against her face.

A smile crept onto his face. "Careful now." He reprimanded. "If you hit me hard enough, your cursor could turn orange."

"My... cursor?" She questioned.

"...You really are a noob, huh?" He muttered under his breath. She didn't even know that?

"Huh?" She asked with cute curiosity. He sighed again, knowing full well she was gonna make him explain every single detail about cursors, as well as everything else she would need to know about the game.

"Okay." He began. "Since your so obviously clueless on how to play SAO, or any other video game for that matter, I guess I have no choice but to give you a run down."

The girl felt offended. "Hey! I'm not that clueless!" She protested.

Kirito deadpanned. "Show me your stats."

"Um, what?" He knew he had her again.

"Oh its pretty simple. I mean, EVERY player in the game at least knows how to do that. Since your not "that" clueless, I'm sure you know how to do it too, right?" His smirk was full of cockiness as he watched her face flush. She started sputtering nonsense to try and defend herself, but she eventually slumped over in defeat.

"Fine." she grumbled. "Tell me what you know."

"Before I do that." Kirito stood up, holding out a hand to her. "You should follow me. We're still in a dangerous area at the moment. I know a safe spot just outside the forest."

"Oh, right." The girl took his hand and stood up. He only held her hand for a few seconds, but he'd remember its softness for a long time to come.

* * *

He led her inside a meadow just outside the forest. It was small but useful because monsters didn't spawn anywhere nearby. They each sat down in a comfortable spot, and Kirito began to teach her all the basics on what she'd need to know about video games, rpg's, and how to survive in SAO. He showed her how to operate her menu efficiently, how to assign skill points, and what skill and stats she should use for her character type. He taught her to use sword skills efficiently and to always keep your guard up while outside a safezone. He scolded her for fighting against multiple monsters at once and to only fight if you knew what you were getting into. He made sure she knew to never let her hp hit red and to always have healing items on hand. He also berated her for letting her equipment become so degraded and informed her about blacksmithing shops.

Before either of them knew it, he'd lectured her for over an hour. Midway through, she'd dropped her hood in respect of him teaching her, and because he'd already seen her face. Kirito was secretly glad she did so, but decided not to comment about it, in favor of giving knowledge to her.

Eventually, Kirito finished lecturing her. Judging by the swirls in her eyes, he'd guess she had a hard time taking everything in.

"Is it over?" The girl asked as she cradled her head. In school, she was the top student in her grade, but not even she could comprehend everything he said.

"Quit being so dramatic. I only told you the basics of the game. There's still a whole lot more you'll eventually need to know to stay alive in this world."

"WHAT!? THERE'S MORE!?"

"You really haven't played a video game before, have you?" It was kind of obvious. Of course a girl like her had never played a single game before. She's too pretty. Based on her looks, he'd guess she was a popular girl who would often get asked out by a bunch of sports guys. Hell, she could even catch the eyes of celebrities. _'So why the hell is a girl like her inside a game like this?'_

"Was it that obvious?" She said, placing her hands in her lap.

"Yeah. I can't believe you even survived this long without knowing any of that. Most people would of probably died by now."

"Well at least I know it now!" She replied, her enthusiasm restored. "Wow, I never knew it would be so difficult, playing a video game." A devious smirk appeared on her face. "Your totally a nerd, aren't you?"

Kirito felt his stomach sink. His shoulders stiffened. _'Idiot! Your suppose to sound cool! Now she thinks your a nerd!'_ He needed to recover from this, she couldn't find out that he really is a nerd. He took a deep breath. "N-no-o, I-I-" He said, ruining any chance of recovering himself.

The girl began laughing. "Oh my gosh! You totally are!" Kirito felt his face begin to redden. He quickly turned away, too embarrassed to look at her.

"Aww, come on. Being a nerd is an asset in here." Adding another insult to his open wound. He scowled, no way was she going to get away with this.

He turned back. "Yeah? And I'm guessing you're as dumb as a mule."

"Hey!" The girl said, taking offense. "I'll have you know that I was the smartest student in my grade."

"Oh really? Wouldn't that make you a nerd, nerd?" It was her turn to feel flustered. Her cheeks reddened in anger as his insult burrowed deep inside her.

 _'He seriously called me a nerd! Just because I work hard in school does NOT mean I'm a nerd! How could he say something like that!?'_ She tried rebutting with a snide remark, only to end up stuttering.

"W-What do you know!" She said in an attempt to defend herself.

"A lot more then you..." He trailed off.

She growled as her frustration began getting the better of her. "That's it!" She was ready to jump up and wipe that smirk off his face, but she hesitated, remembering that her cursor would turn orange if she attacked a player. If she hit him, she would no longer be able to enter towns.

Kirito saw this and his smirk grew. "Hey, looks like your not as dumb as I thought."

"Shut up."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Kirito sat in mirth from his victory until he heard the sounds of giggling.

"Hmm?" Taking another look at her, he saw she had a hand covering her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles. She noticed his confusion and explained. "It's just, I never knew I would have so much fun in here." His eyes widened in surprise. She was... Enjoying their conversation? A moment ago he thought she wanted to kill him, but out of nowhere she starts laughing.

 _'Girls...'_ He thought. _'Still, it's nice... Hearing her laugh.'_ He watched her laugh with a calm silence. Seeing her smile made him want to as well. After first getting told off by her, he thought he'd just guide her out of the forest and go on his way, but here he was, actually having a normal conversation with her. He even made her laugh!

 _'Come to think of it, we've talked for awhile now.'_ He opened up his menu as her laughter began dwindling down.

 _2:17 a.m._

Pretty soon, he would have to leave for the boss room. A spark of melancholy hit him as he realized he wouldn't get to talk with her anymore. _"Wait, I feel sad that I won't get to talk to her anymore?'_ It was then Kirito realized, he actually enjoyed the time they'd spent talking with one another.

 _'That's... definitely a first.'_ He never thought he would see the day when he'd enjoy talking to someone.

He stretched his arms over his head as the chestnut haired girl opened her menu and brought out a water flask and some unappetizing bread. She looked at the bread in distaste before shutting her eyes and taking a bite.

"That bread must taste good, eh?" He taunted her.

She responded with a glare before swallowing. "Be quiet. A beta tester like you should know that this is the only thing edible in here." She took another bite of it, groaning as she tried washing it down with water.

"Well..." He began, opening his menu. "How bout you throw that garbage away and eat some of this."

She gave a sideways glance at him. "What are y-" She gasped, words dying in her mouth.

The girl was stunned into silence, staring as Kirito took a bite of freshly baked cookies and a drink of cool milk.

"B-But y-you.. h-how?" She managed to get out before falling silent again, hypnotized by the delicious treats he was holding.

Watching her reaction, he had to comment. "Do you need help picking your jaw up from the floor? Or is that an invitation?" He dared. _'On second thought, I probably shouldn't of said that.'_ Kirito mentally cringed at his salacious joke, hoping she wouldn't react badly.

The awe-struck girl managed to snap out of her stupor and look at him incredulously. "And what exactly is that suppose to mean?"

He quickly coughed. "Oh, here! Take this!" Avoiding her question, he quickly pushed the cookies and milk into her hands.

The angered female was fully prepared to tear him a new one before her hands were suddenly filled with delicacies she thought she'd never see again. She gazed upon the food in amazement. She began to eat with ladylike grace. After a bite, she couldn't help falling into temptation, devouring the treats almost instantly. Unbeknownst to her, Kirito released a quiet sigh of relief, thankful he had dodged a bullet.

The girl herself gave a sigh of bliss. "Oh wow... I wish every meal were as good as that." She closed her eyes in satisfaction, happy she'd finally gotten the chance to eat good food in what felt like forever.

"I know what you mean." Kirito said after a bite. "The things we took for granted in the real world are now the things most sought after." After being trapped for a couple days, Kirito learned the truth hidden under SAO's death game. The everyday privileges normal people took for granted in the real world were no longer available to the people trapped in SAO. The only way for you to get such necessities would be from fighting out in the front. There was only so much of those things to go around. The people in the «Town of Beginnings» would have it the worst. Not having the everyday accustoms you've lived with all your life would really mess you up, even to the point of insanity. If there was anything about SAO that scared him, it was losing himself like that.

They both sat in silence as Kirito drunk the rest of his milk. His words hit deep within the girl. She was completely unaware of that. She and everyone else were only worried about the death game, now she had another thing to be afraid of.

She decided to change the topic before she got depressed, and ask something that had been bothering her. "So why are you out here this late?"

"Pardon?" He asked while patting the crumbs off his gloves.

"Back inside the forest, you asked why I was out fighting «Dire Wolves» in the middle of the night, but I never got to ask why you were also there. Care to explain?" She asked suspiciously.

He gave her a look of apathy. "That's all? I was in the forest because I was searching for the quest item called the «Moonflower». As the name states, its a type of flower that blooms at night. Because of that, I had no choice but to come here at night." He said, displaying his incredible lying skills.

His lie was completely believable. There really is a quest that involves the player entering the «Deep Forest» at nighttime to collect the «Moonflower». He'd already done the quest awhile ago, but she had no way of knowing that. Although it was hidden, he was a little surprised she asked that.

"Oh." She replied, not knowing what else to say. Kirito scrolled through his menu and took out more cookies and milk. Her suspicion disappeared instantly.

"How many of these do you have!?" She was once again astounded by the fresh scent of cookies permeating the air.

He looked at the item in his menu. "Seventeen."

"SEVENTEEN!?" She shouted, nearly spitting up milk. "BUT HOW!? She assumed he originally got the food from a rare quest, but there was no way that was possible.

"A quest." He answered, closing his menu and proving her wrong.

"But a quest doesn't give out that many items! Does it!?"

"Well typically, you'd be correct." He told her. "But there are some quests that can be done multiple times. I simply did the quest over and over and it gave me duplicates."

A smile formed on her face. "So does that mean I could go do it too!?" If she could do the quest for herself, then she would have her own supply and wouldn't have to eat that sickening bread anymore!

"Not possible." And just like that, her dreams of eating good food were put to an end.

"But why not!?" She protested. If there were requirements in order to do the quest then she'd do it! Nothing would stop her!

"Because of limit capacities on quests."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, some quests can be done multiple times. Very few quests can be done infinitely. The quest I did to get the food is not one of them." He paused to take a bite. "Since the quest was completed so many times, it's no longer available."

She groaned, laying her head back in frustration. The moment something good finally came around ends up being a ruse. "That's so disappointing." Another groan escaped her. "Seriously, why hasn't anyone else even mention anything about the quest? If I would have known about it I would've done it!" She complained.

"Yeah. I'm sure other people would've done it too if they known about it." Kirito said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't really know what to tell ya. Sorry."

She pressed on. "I mean, surely someone must of talked about it. I didn't hear anything from info-brokers or the guidebook. It's not like there was just one single guy who hogged the quest all... to... himself..." Her words slowed down as realization hit her. She glared at him with all the hate she could muster. "YOU!"

"Oh! Would you look at the time!" He interrupted her, rising up to his feet. "I should be heading off-"

"Don't even think about it mister!" She stood in front of him, hands on her hips. "How could you do something so selfish!? Do you know how many days I've had to eat that nauseating bread!?"

He put his hands up. "Come on, don't give me that. You know as well as I do that someone else would of got to the quest before you would've."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Look on the bright side, at least you got to eat something good today. Not everyone can get that kind of luxury."

She seemed to consider what he said. She let out a huff and sat down. He let out a breath and sat down as well.

"Fine, I guess your right." Her scowl still remained plastered on her face.

They finished their food as silence befell them once more. Kirito closed his eyes, feeling the virtual wind as it gently blew the grass around them. Every once in a while, a bird nearby would chirp and flap its wings, flying off into the night. He glanced at her, it seemed that she had also noticed how calm it was. She took a fresh breath of air, watching the grass dance around them.

It sure was peaceful.

But he couldn't sit here forever.

He looked at the in-game clock.

 _2:29 a.m._

 _'I guess I really should get going now.'_ He couldn't waste anymore time with her. If he did, he might not be able to fight the boss in time before the raid took it on. He knew he couldn't just leave out of the blue so suddenly. He needed something to say that would end this meeting with proper closure.

 _'I got it.'_ He thought, putting his plan together.

He stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Well, its getting pretty late. I think now's the time to go our separate paths." He said, playing it cool.

"O-Oh yeah, your right. Its getting late." She stood up again and dusted herself off. "I should go as well."

"Here." He scrolled through his menu into the «Social» tab, sending her a trade request. "Take this as a parting gift."

She raised an eyebrow at his actions before accepting the request.

«Chocolate Chip Cookies x15»

«Farmer's Cow Milk x15»

He accepted the trade. Her mouth dropped in surprise. "B-But, why!?"

"Eh, I guess I'm bored of milk and cookies. Besides, I know a few places on the second floor to pick up food." She didn't really understand his reasoning, but she wasn't gonna turn down his offer. She quickly collected herself and accepted the trade.

A bright smile appeared on her face as she looked at the items inside her inventory. "Thank you!" She looked him in the eyes. "Is there any way I can repay you?"

He saw her intense gaze before looking away and scratching his head, hiding a blush. "Nah, its cool. Don't worry about it."

She silently cheered to herself. He watched her cute antics with a smile before turning around. "Well, it's about time I head out. Bye."

He walked away from her, placing his hands in his pockets. "Wait."

He turned back. "Hmm? What is it?"

She went quiet, and once again, she began giggling. _'What's so funny?'_ He raised an eyebrow at her actions.

"It's just." She said between giggles. "We've been talking this whole time, and we completely about it!"

More laughter escaped her, and his interest was now peaked. "Really? What is it?"

"Don't you remember? I asked you for your name, Mr. Fancy Pants!" Oh, that's right. They forgot to introduce themselves. The girls laugh faded into a gentle smile. "I'll start. My name is Asuna. Now you."

He smiled back. "I'm K-" He jolted, biting his tongue. Panic made itself known on his face. 'Oh _shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I nearly gave out my name! I'm such an idiot!'_ He reprimanded himself. She caught him off guard. He was too immersed into their conversation that he lost focus. What a stupid mistake!

Asuna saw him turn away in surprise. "What's wrong?" What just happened? Everything seemed fine before and then he just suddenly flipped out. All she did was ask for his name.

"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" He said, more forceful than he meant. _'What should I do? I can't just tell her my name? Can I?'_ No, there was no way he could tell her his name. If he did, she'd tell everyone! She wasn't trustworthy! She's just some stupid noob!

...

Wait a second. _'She's a noob! There's no way a girl like her would know about me, right?'_ He was only famous in the world of gaming, and she already said earlier that this was her first video game. Could she really be trusted? Would it really be okay if she knew who he was? What would happen if she did know? What if-

"Hello? Are you in there? Are you okay?" She said nervously with a look of concern.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay." He answered back, calming himself down. It wouldn't do any of them good if he stayed like that.

"I'm sorry for asking." Asuna spoke up. "I didn't know it was such a sensitive topic for you.."

She... she's letting it go?

"N-No, its fine.. Its not like you knew.." He had no idea what to tell her. He didn't want to reveal his name to anyone. He never even planned on talking to someone as long as he did. Maybe it was because he never talked to a girl like her before. At first he thought she would be some stuck up bitch, but after talking with her, he found out she was actually really nice. "I shouldn't of freaked out on you like that. I'm sorry." He knew he overreacted. He made her worry for no reason. She didn't deserve that.

She wanted to reply, but couldn't find the words to respond.

 _'Should I... tell her?'_ At the beginning of the game, Kirito swore that he would never tell anyone his name. Under no circumstance would he ever give it out, even if it was an absolute emergency. And yet here he was, considering giving this random girl, Asuna, his name. His hair shadowed his eyes.

His voice was serious. "Asuna." Should he really be doing this?

She noticed his serious tone "Y-Yes?" She asked with hesitation.

"If you swear to me, right now, that you'll never tell anyone, I'll tell you my name." Could he really do this?

"No, no, it's okay. You really don't need to tell.. me.." Her voice died down as she looked into his eyes. They were dark. He wasn't joking. It was like he was staring into her very soul, waiting. She felt a cold sweat fall from her eyebrow.

He was beginning to scare her.

"Asuna." He said, this time louder. "You have to swear. You won't tell a single soul." Is this the right decision to make? "I'm serious." Is she trustworthy?

Now he was really scaring her. Was this guy a criminal? She looked at his cursor and it was green, so that couldn't be it. Whoever he was, it must be important. Asuna gave an audible gulp and nodded her head. "I-I swear. I won't tell anyone." Her voice shook.

He looked at her fearful expression and sighed, calming himself down. He was freaking her out again. His face dropped to it's usual, apathetic look. "Sorry, it's just, revealing my name to people is a big problem for me. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Asuna released a breath she didn't know she was holding, glad he was normal again. "You really scared me, you know? I didn't know how serious this was."

Kirito pondered out an explanation in his head. "Well, think of it like your hood. You don't want people seeing your face because you know they'll approach you. Its almost the exact same thing with my name. Its the reason why I haven't told anyone."

"Really?" Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "I'm gonna be the first to know?"

"Yep." He coughed to clear his throat, giving her another smile. "So, you ready to know?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She said, now excited to find out his big secret.

He let out a breath. _'I hope this was a good decision.'_ He thought, finally deciding to put his trust into someone. "My name is..."

It was extremely quiet, the wind no longer blowing, like the whole entire world came to a halt. He spoke his name.

"Kirito."

Things began moving again as the wind came back, almost like it had never stopped in the first place.

"Ki-ri-to." She sounded it out. "Kirito's your name?" He nodded. "Huh. I thought it would be something super crazy, like DragonSlayer!" She laughed at him.

Kirito deadpanned. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh I'm just kidding. Kirito is a nice name." She smiled at him, and he found himself hiding another blush. It was kinda nice hearing her speak it..

"Yeah well, just make sure you never say it. Ever. Okay?"

"You got it. I promise I won't." Hearing her make that promise made him feel joy. Now all she had to do was keep it.

She spoke up. "May I ask you a question, Kirito?"

"Ask away."

"Specifically, why do you hide your name from people?"

He almost chuckled at her ignorance. "I'm not surprised you wouldn't know. Lets just say I'm a little popular." That left her unsatisfied. Did he have to be so vague?

Kirito looked at the time again.

 _2:46 a.m._

 _'Damn, I really got to get going.'_ He closed his menu. "Well, this is where I take off. I'll hold you to your promise. Take care, Asuna." He began walking away, hand raised in a 'goodbye' gesture.

"Hold on, Kirito." She said, stopping him for the second time.

His foot stopped on the ground, dragging dirt under it. "Yeah?"

She clasped her hands together, and her feet began to shuffle on the ground. "Will you... Add me? As a friend?"

His eyes widened. She wanted to add him? But why? Sure they talked for awhile, but they still don't even know each other. Wouldn't she feel uncomfortable with someone like him on her list? "Why?" Back in the beta, Kirito added numerous amounts of people. He did it mainly because they wouldn't stop bugging him until he did. The only one he talked to regularly was Argo.

In the end, he deleted her and everyone else on his friends list. He couldn't have liabilities like them following him around once the real game began. Now that it was a death game, he did feel bad about doing it. Still, taking on the first boss should be more than enough compensation for hiding himself.

It was hard to see against the moon's light, but a blush spread across Asuna's face. It didn't go unnoticed, and Kirito felt himself looking away, afraid that watching her blush would probably make him do so as well. "W-Well, you know. We've been talking for awhile now, a-and it wouldn't hurt if we got in contact with each other again, don't you think?"

He looked up in thought. Should he really add Asuna to his friends list? It wasn't like she was a fan of his, so he doubted that she would message him constantly. Plus if he did add her, he could keep a better monitor on her because the game lets you track friends. He still couldn't fully trust her. He still thought there was a chance she would reveal his name to the public. This way, he would have a much easier time making sure she wouldn't betray him.

Asuna began to get nervous at his silence. She was beginning to have doubts when he finally responded. "Yeah, sure. I'll add you."

She smiled with glee. "Great! So... how do I send it?"

Of course she wouldn't know. Oh well, no big deal. "I'll do it." Kirito said while sending her a friends requests. She looked down at the pop up and quickly pressed the blue circle, accepting it.

Asuna suddenly felt elated. She thought she would be all alone in this game, but now she finally had a friend she could talk to. This game was really starting to look up for her. Meanwhile, Kirito thought this whole situation was surreal. That he would wake up and it would all be a dream. Did he really give his name away? He thought his defenses were strong. Then a cute girl suddenly came by, and they all came crashing down. _'There's nothing I can do about it now... As long as she keeps quiet about it, I should be okay.'_ He thought. Still, it didn't really stop him from feeling nervous.

It was time to leave. "Okay, I'm off to go get the «Moonflower» before its daytime. I don't want to have to wait another day for it to bloom again." Kirito said, sticking to his lie.

"Do you want me to go with you? Wouldn't it be safer if we go together?" Asuna asked him.

"No, its fine. I know my way around the forest without many wolves spawning in. No worries." He declined her. She looked upset that he said no, she was also uncomfortable knowing that he was going by himself. He got an idea. "You should head back to «Tolbana» and get some sleep. They're having a meeting about the floor one boss at 7:00 a.m. in the amphitheater. If you go to sleep now and set an alarm, you could still catch it."

Asuna perked up. "Really!? Were finally going to beat floor one!?" Her sadness was replaced with enlightenment. "I guess I should hurry and get some sleep if I'm going to catch it!" She began running back to town with a hop in her step. "See ya later Kirito!" She waved back at him.

He felt himself flinch. She just yelled "Kirito" without any precaution. Good thing no one was around, or that could of been dangerous. _'Were gonna have to work on that.'_

Sighing at her carelessness, and giving her a small wave back, he once again set off for his real destination, the floor one boss.

Illfang the Kobold Lord.

* * *

It was 6:58 in the morning, and Asuna had arrived at the amphitheater. She was tired, as she only found out about the meeting last minute and couldn't get her full eight hours. Nevertheless, she was glad she made it on time.

Cloak hiding her face, she looked around for a certain someone amongst the people who had already arrived. "Where is he?" She mumbled. Opening her menu, Asuna watched as another minute went by with no sign of Kirito.

 _'Maybe he slept in? he was up longer than I was looking for that flower. Should I message him?'_ No, he probably wouldn't like it if she bothered him like that. She knew that she shouldn't message him just because the opportunity arose...

...

What if he was in danger? What if he died last night? What if...

No no no. She was being too clingy. She'd only met the guy yesterday. _'I'm sure he's fine. He's a beta tester and has all that fancy equipment. He's fine...'_ Asuna looked down at her foot and saw it tapping repeatedly against the ground. Was she really that worried? Surely she was overthinking things and he was just running late...

...

Nope. She couldn't take it. Opening her friends list, she was just about to send him a message when she saw an icon next to his name. She pressed it down.

Kirito

Status: Alive

She felt herself release a breath she didn't know she was holding. What's his problem? How could he make her worry like that? She should message him right now and give him a piece of her mind!

...

 _'What am I doing?'_ She began questioning herself. Was she going crazy? From this one simple guy? She didn't know that not having any friends for an entire month would have this kind of effect on her.

...

Now that she thought about it, Kirito never actually did say he was going to come to the meeting. He only told her when and where it would be and that she should go to it...

...

THAT WEASEL! HE DID THAT ON PURPOSE!

Asuna felt her eyes twitch in irritation. The next time she saw him...

Before she could think anymore on the subject, she heard a voice. "Good evening everyone!" Looking in the direction it came from, she saw a blue haired man standing at the bottom of the amphitheater. "Now that everyone is here, let's get this meeting started!"

 _'Wait a second, this is everyone?'_ Looking around, there were probably less than fifty people who showed up to the meeting. Where was everyone? Surely there had to be more people who wanted to beat the boss. Didn't they want out of this game? Asuna began feeling nervous. Could they even beat the boss with this number of people?

"So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming. My name is Diavel, and in this game, the job I rolled is knight!" The man now named Diavel said, pointing a thumb to his chest.

People began laughing at him. "Dude, there's no job system in this game!" A player yelled out.

More people started murmuring to themselves. "Do you guys wanna hear this or not?" Diavel said. The laughter died down, and everyone was suddenly tense.

"Right. Well, let me be blunt. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower yesterday." Gasps were heard as people leaned forward in suspense. Even Asuna herself was shocked at the news. "We need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two. The next step is-"

Before Diavel could say anything else, an announcement was heard all throughout Aincrad.

 **Attention. The first floor has been cleared. The second floor has now been opened.**

...

"WHAT!"

* * *

 **And with that, Asuna has been introduced. Even though this was my longest chapter yet, I'm not really satisfied with it. The reason why is probably because the majority of the chapter centers around Kirito's and Asuna's conversation. I guess that's okay, since it had to be done. It wouldn't be a good story if Kirito didn't meet anyone. If he didn't have any interactions, the story would quickly grow boring. Interactions with people starts drama, and helps the plot revolve. With that said, did you like how she was introduced? Let me know your thoughts.**

 **Again, sorry for the long wait. I'll try to update faster, but I still have to update my Naruto fanfiction. The holidays are coming up, so I will have some free time to write. Believe me, I don't want it to take this long either, and for now on, it shouldn't. I've got a lot of plans for this story, so keep reading.**

 **See you next time, and have a good day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know this is way late, but happy new years everyone. Lets all hope 2017 will be an amazing year. Also, special thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story, I really appreciate it.**

 **I need to address a few things before the chapter starts. I have gotten a few reviews quoting my mistakes on grammar and how I can improve. I am thankful for your help, but please understand, this is a learning experience for me. I am bound to make a few, if not a bunch of spelling errors. When I look at my first two chapters on this story, and the chapters on my Naruto one, I could tell how poorly they were written. Even so, I think my writing has improved from that stage, and will continue to improve the more I write. If you still feel the need to point out the mistakes I make, feel free to do so. I just wanted to point this out, because I do try my hardest to fix these errors.**

 **Another thing that needs mentioning, I got a review questioning why I had players asking around for Kirito, and the reasoning behind it. The reviewer felt this was premature, as it didn't make since in the players point-of-view. I feel the need to address this with everyone, and I will try to explain this as best as I can without making a ginormous paragraph. First off, you misunderstood the conversation those two players had. I never specifically said the two were beta testers. Remember, the entire first chapter of this story was to develop Kirito into a "pro gamer." In real life, pro gamers are famous for their skills in the game they play. Pros who play in video game tournaments play in front of THOUSANDS of people on live streams. Therefore, I had Kirito play in the solo RAIZE tournament in front of half a million people. When he won the tournament, he got instant fame for being the best player in the world's current #1 MMORPG. In real life, you would also be instantly famous for winning a tournament like that. Everyone knew that he received the beta for the upcoming VR game, Sword Art Online, as it was one of the prizes announced for winning. Most of the beta testers already knew who Kirito was because of his recent fame. Inside the beta test, Kirito was dominating. Other beta testers got to see first hand how good this new pro gamer really was. In canon, the beta testers only reached floor 8, but in my story, they reached floor 9 SOLELY because of Kirito, who found the boss room. Every gamer loved him, and wanted to become friends with him. So when the death game began, players began to question where he was. This includes the new players who've just bought the game, because they know he is a professional gamer, and is now also trapped inside with them. He was an absolute bad ass in the beta, and now more than ever, they need someone like him to help guide them to victory. Sorry this was so long to read, but I hope I cleared everything up.**

 **If there are still anymore misconceptions, or any questions in general, feel free to PM me. I will be more than happy to answer you.**

* * *

 _'RUN! RUN! RUN!'_ Were his thoughts as he booked away from floor two's warp gate. He heard that system announcement. Hell, who couldn't of heard it? He'd been so wrapped up in his fight with the boss that he completely forgotten about the announcement that happens when a boss is defeated.

Kirito ran faster, putting all of his strength into his «Sprinting» skill. His brand new coat swayed from winds that pierced him, dust trailing behind his footsteps. The coat was perfect, exactly his style. Couldn't of asked for a better drop from the boss. It was called «Coat of Midnight». It's defensive stats were okay, but its agility bonus was it's best factor. No, the best factor was that it was black! Oh what an amazing reward!

A smirk showed itself freely on his face as adrenaline pumped through Kirito's body, pushing his skill to its limit. He enjoyed this kind of feeling. The feeling when you've just done something epic, the fresh feeling of blood rushing through your veins. It reminded him of the time he'd won the RAIZE tournament.

It was these moments that he lived for! This was why he played video games!

He began to laugh uncontrollably, his voice being lost in the air. It was so easy. The challenges this game proposed were so entertaining, and something only he could find amusement in. This world was his! Not even Kayaba could stop him from conquering it!

«Illfang the Kobold Lord» had been a complete joke. The strategy he used was rather straightforward, but very efficient. The first thing he did was take out the boss's two minions, the «Kobold Sentinels». He would hop around the pillars that were aligned across from each other inside the room. The minions would have an easy time getting around them, but the boss, being as big as it was, would be much slower. He would then parry one sentinel backwards and use a sword skill on the other. This method cleared out both the sentinels, which only managed to chip his hp bar. The method for killing the boss wasn't much different. Also using the pillars, he flanked around them and attacked Illfang from behind. The beast became enraged and made several attempts to kill him, slashing his sword fiercely. Kirito swiftly dodged each strike, making Illfang's attacks smack into the pillars, giving him another chance to attack. The boss room was damageable, and eventually a pillar would be destroyed. When it finally collapsed, Kirito jumped away from the falling rocks. He then simply ran behind a different pillar while the boss was distracted by the collateral damage of its own attack. There were more than enough pillars in the room, and with his level, he had no problem dealing damage to the monster.

That was the thing with his combat level. Kirito was way over-leveled for the current floor. In the beta test, it didn't matter how many times you died. It didn't matter if you lost equipment, or rare loot, because everything would be reset once the game was officially released. All that mattered was how much of the game you could clear as fast as possible. Because of this, everyone who participated in boss battles, including himself, were way under-leveled. Players who fought the first boss were level 4-6, and he was no different. Even though their levels were low, they were still able to beat the boss. In this case, it was quantity over quality. Bosses did not regenerate hp, so damage over time would eventually lead to a boss's death. The only way a player could regenerate their hp without using any healing items was if they used one of their skill points in the skill «Battle Healing».

Once Illfang's health hit the red zone, its attack patterns would change. In the beta, it would switch out its main weapon for a talwar hidden on its back. However, this time it was different. When Kirito got its hp down, Illfang threw away its weapon, but instead of a talwar, it drew a nodachi.

This could have been very bad for some people. The boss would have a longer reach and do more damage than it normally would. However, Kirito had been preparing for this. He'd already learned a long time ago that the game was different from its initial stage. In fact, he predicted that Illfang would pull off something like that. That's why when he drew his nodachi, it had absolutely no affect on Kirito's strategy. It even made the fight easier because the nodachi kept getting stuck inside the pillars, throwing Illfang off balance.

It was actually hilarious.

Kirito used one final sword skill, «Uppercut», which hit the boss dead on, erasing it from the game. Music played, and a huge congratulations message shown itself overhead. He was looking at the new items he received when he heard the system announcement go off.

That was when he began running.

It really didn't matter though, he planned on running through the doors when they were opened anyway. It made him a little excited when he thought about how the players back in «Tolbana» could have reacted. Looking at his in-game clock, the boss meeting only must of just begun. They were probably all stunned into silence. As much as he didn't want to be near them, he kinda wished he could of at least seen their faces. He thought about activating the warp gate before dismissing the idea. Doing that would only draw people in quicker. They could activate it when they made their way up the floor.

Kirito's gaze fell on the area around him. Floor two was intriguingly different from floor one. In terms of size, they were about the same. The major difference between the two was the gigantic mountain that took up a quarter of the entirety of the new floor. It also had a more rocky terrain. While it had its fair share of grass, there was plenty more grey stones than greenery. There was also a dungeon inside the mountain cave. A lot of good quests assigned the player to go in there from the nearby town, «Urbus».

The town was this floor's main hub, and it had a rather unique background. Supposedly, the peak of the mountain broke off, leaving the top of the mountain flat. The mountain peak hit the ground, burying itself in it. After several decades, the rock eventually disintegrated, leaving behind a giant crater. A young explorer came across the crater, and decided to make it his home. Overtime, more people settled into it, which made the once small home into a lively city. Although the crater was created by a falling rock, it's a safe town to enter. The rock fell quite a distance from its original peak, and the town even has gates guarding it from any debris or monsters. It's blocked off from outside activity, and the way you enter it is from a staircase that descends downward into the crater-town. Interestingly enough, every town in the game was designed to have some kind of story written for it. «Urbus» is a cool place to visit, and one of the highlighted towns players really enjoyed.

But that wasn't where Kirito was headed. His destination was at the very top of the mountain.

There's a very specific reason why Kayaba made the top of the mountain flat. Realistically, if a mountain's peak fell off, the top would still be very bumpy. However, that would be an inconvenience to Kayaba, so he flattened it. He did this because there's a secret at the very top. It was so secret, that only the best of the best beta testers knew about it. Players who were good at gathering information like Argo the Rat.

And of course, Kirito knew about it too.

The secret was a hidden quest. Any player who adventured to the top of the mountain was able to accept the quest. It was called «Break the Iron Rock». The quest was assigned by an old man who was a martial arts master. If you dived further into the quest's backstory, you would find out that the old man was actually the young explorer who first came across the crater where «Urbus» is now located. To complete the quest, you must break the iron rock the old man sets up. You must do so with your bare hands, without any sword skills. The quest's rewards didn't give any items or col, and it barely gave any xp. There was only one reason a player would do this quest.

To receive the extra skill, «Martial Arts».

The skill was the only known extra skill in the game. It allowed the player to activate a brand new set of sword skills with only their hands. It was very handy, although a lot weaker than using a weapon. Even though it was weak, it was perfect for a one-handed wielder who didn't use a shield. The best thing about extra skills was that they don't even use one of your skill points.

In SAO, skill points were precious. You only get a limited number of skill points, rumored to be around twelve. What skills you pick would affect how you shape your character. They are something you definitely don't want to toss around. You could retrieve a used up skill point by going to the witch in the «Town of Beginnings», but the price was hefty. It cost a huge sum of money. The higher the skill, the higher the price. If a player reset the skill, the skill would be completely removed from your character. Not only would that be a waste of time, but a waste of money. So choose wisely!

Kirito wanted this skill because he never planned on using a shield. Therefore, he would always have a free hand open. Having «Martial Arts» would be a big increase to his repertoire. Doing the quest now would be ideal. He could begin leveling it up as soon as possible and do it before anyone else gets there, or finds out about it. Even though the quest wasn't known by many players, he was sure the information would be leaked. Damn you Argo...

He finally slowed his pace, looking at the rocky stature before him. He didn't even notice how long he'd been running. It had been a half-hour since he arrived on the floor. Players should have begun pouring in by now. It wouldn't be too long before they make their way to «Urbus» and the mountain. He had it all to himself right now. Might as well get to it.

* * *

 **Are you sure you want to accept the quest «Break the Iron Rock»?**

 **Yes/No**

Pressing yes, Kirito followed the old man to an iron rock that was nearby the man's shack. "You may begin." The elder said, walking away from Kirito. This would be the last interaction he would have with the man. As soon as you break the rock, the quest becomes complete and you receive your rewards. The old man wasn't needed from here on out. You could choose to talk to him once you've completed his quest, but the only thing he says are simple text words that congratulate you.

Kirito set his focus onto the rock. In the beta test, the rock was extremely hard to break. He'd doubt that factor had changed, even now. He was level 10 when he had completed the quest, and it took him several hours to finally break it. As long as it was, his timing was still much shorter than other players. It had taken Argo nearly a day. He stole a glance up at his combat level.

 **Kirito**

 **LV: 19**

Illfang had leveled him up twice. The xp bar under his stat showed him that he was nearly leveled up again. Jumping two levels at once was absolutely incredible, and completely unheard of. All of that xp the boss dropped had solely went to him. In a normal boss fight, experience points and item drops were split between players and their party members. While this makes it seem like your cut would be small, it was actually very good. Partaking in a boss fight would save you time away from grinding. The col and items were also very beneficial.

It felt good knowing just how much stronger he was than everyone else. Not even former beta testers could even come close to reaching his level. Granted, he did have unfair advantages like better equipment and knowledge that no one else knew, but that wasn't his fault. He was just a better player than the rest of them, plain and simple.

It was time to become even further ahead of them. Stretching an arm out, he held his right hand out above the rock, positioning himself into a stance a martial artist would take. It may have taken him several tries before, but this wasn't like last time. He knew exactly how to activate the skill, and which spot would cause the rock to methodically break. He slammed his fist down. "Hrragh!"

 _CRACK!_

The rock, made of heavy iron that would take a man hours to even dent, broke under the impact of Kirito's fist. The rock split clean in two, and slowly shattered into thousands of crystalline particles.

 **Quest Complete!**

A smirk of satisfaction materialized on his face. It only took one shot. This result was to be expected. He was confident he could break the rock much faster than last time, the level gap perhaps making it easier.

He accepted the quest rewards and watched as «Martial Arts» appeared into his skill list.

 **«One-Handed Sword»**

 **«Martial Arts»**

 **«Parrying** **»**

 **«Searching** **»**

 **«Hiding** **»**

 **«Sprinting** **»**

His skill list would continue to grow. The question was, when would it stop? In the beta, no one really knew because no one ever reached that high of a level. The only reason he knew there was a skill cap was because of the witch in the «Town of Beginnings». If you could have an infinite amount of skills, why would she be there?

He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well. I shouldn't have to worry about that right now." No use thinking about things that were far into the future. He was sure it would be awhile before he did come across that problem, and he could avoid it completely if he made smart skill choices. Walking to the edge of the mountain, he could make out the town of «Urbus». From this high up, it looked like a small hole dug with a shovel. There wasn't any other reason to stay up on the mountain, and now that he had the skill, he would never have to travel back up it.

He carefully began his tread down the mountain. That was the most dangerous part of the quest. The reason why the quest was so secretive was because it was so damn hard to travel up it. He recalled a whole bunch of players thinking they would find a treasure chest or something if they reached the top, only to plummet to their deaths a quarter the way up. Falling that high scared players to death, and there were signs posted in front of the mountain warning players about it. No one tried to climb up it after that. Kirito doubt anyone would try until info about it was leaked.

It was still daytime, the virtual sun's rays were already lighting up the surface below. His coat protected him from the virtual winds blowing against him. They were virtual, but it still felt nice on his skin. His next destination was the center of the floor. The area was covered with both grass and gravel, separating the two biomes. The only unique thing about it were the many rocks scattered across it. There were no quest near it, so there wasn't any reason why a player would travel to it. For SAO, it was a dull sight. Kirito only had one specific reason to head there.

To fight the strongest monsters with the best xp rates, of course.

The strongest mob on floor two was the «Rock Taurus». Equipped with strong defense and attack power, they sounded pretty deadly, but they actually weren't that difficult to defeat. The taurus' run sluggishly and their only attack is to sprint head-first into the player. Alone, they were easy to fight. All you had to do was dodge, strike, rinse, and repeat. They normally only spawned one at a time, making it hard to actually grind out on them. That would typically be the case, unless you journeyed to the center of the floor. Not only do they spawn frequently, but in pairs, making it the fastest place to grind on the current floor.

It wasn't exactly safe, however. Because they spawn so quickly, you always have to be on your feet. Getting hit by one of them takes a large margin of your health away. Its easy to get trampled and defeated if they all bombard you at once. Kirito wasn't worried though. His level was way too high for them to be an actual threat. They were just the best he could do for now.

He thought about doing more quests, but forgone that option. Other than the «Martial Arts» quest, there weren't any others that would be of use to him. The best quests here only gave out xp and col. While this would be good for a lower level, it wouldn't for him. He could grind out on the «Rock Taurus» and get even more rewards then the quest's gave.

Kirito nodded to himself, the victorious smirk still plastered on his face. He didn't even feel a minuscule amount of drowsiness. Soloing a floor boss had really hyped him up. He would have to burn away his adrenaline by grinding on mobs. Focused on setting his plan into motion, he completely missed the blinking orange light in the corner of his vision.

* * *

"Hah!" Kirito yelled out activating «Horizontal». His blade went completely through the «Rock Taurus» diving towards him, obliterating it. He quickly turned around to face his other foes. He danced around the rocky creatures that charged at him, knocking one aside while activating a sword skill into another. These taurus' were definitely proving how deadly they could be in groups. Even he, now a level 20, always had to stay on his toes to avoid being tackled.

The «Rock Taurus» roared at Kirito, rushing at him with all it's strength. He ducked under it and leaped towards the one behind it, landing a heavy blow on its neck. Steel tore through fur, splitting the monster in two. He turned back around into his stance, holding his sword in front of him, his other hand ready to move at a moments notice. Two taurus's slowly approached him, one on his left flank, and one on his right, cornering him behind a pillar of stone. They stared him down menacingly, stomping their feet into the ground. Suddenly, they both charged at him at the same time. He dashed to his left, batting the taurus away with his sword. The taurus flew behind him and slammed into the rock, dazed. He turned around as the other was directly upon him. He wouldn't have time to swing his sword around to block its attack.

He swiftly raised his fist, a red light shining from it. He let out a fierce yell as he smashed the taurus into the ground with his new «Martial Arts» sword skill, «Hammer Fist», a downwards strike. The taurus let out a painful wail, it's hp dropping into yellow. He brought his sword back down upon the beast, slaying it. The other beast managed to get onto its feet and charge at him, only to be struck with a «Horizontal», which also finished it off.

He watched the mob die with tired eyes, panting lightly. Fatigue was finally catching up to him. He'd been at it all day, from morning till night, grinding for xp and items while also training his «Martial Arts» skill. He checked the vicinity for anymore mobs to slay, but it seemed he had run the system dry. Either that or the taurus' themselves were to afraid to spawn back in. The thought of something that bizarre happening made him chuckle. He flicked his sword, a new habit of his, and sheathed it away behind him. His menu showed that it was a quarter to midnight. He woke himself up early to fight Illfang, and he'd been up a long time since then. Now would be a good time to get some rest.

He was just about to close his menu when a glowing light caught his eye. He raised an eyebrow. _'What could this be?'_ Kirito questioned himself. Deciding not to wait any longer, he pressed his finger on the orange light.

 **Message**

 **Asuna:**

 **"KIRITO! THE FIRST BOSS WAS BEATEN BEFORE WE COULD FIGHT IT! THE SECOND FLOOR IS OPEN!"**

 **Message**

 **Asuna:**

 **"Did you get my message Kirito? The first boss was cleared! Are you there?"**

 **Message**

 **Asuna:**

 **"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm trying to talk to you! Answer me!"**

Kirito paled. there were over forty messages from Asuna trying to contact him. The further he went down, the more graphic and angrier they got. _'Oh man, she's gonna kill me! The next time she sees me, I'm done for!'_ He thought in absolute terror, already bracing himself for the horror to come. He would know. Having a younger sister taught him to never EVER inflict a woman's wrath. He had broken that taboo. There was no escaping it.

He was dead.

Or at least his soul was for that matter. Sure enough he could make it up to her, right? Woman can be forgiving. It's not like there's a heartless monster under their gentle exterior, right?

Right?

Kirito gulped down his nervousness. _'If she's going to forgive me, I have to write the best message I can, and do something special for her.'_ He thought hurriedly, not sparing any time to second guess himself.

 **Message To**

 **Asuna:**

 **"I'm really sorry if I made you worry Asuna, I just didn't get the chance to reply back in time. Rest assured, I got all your messages, and I was very surprised upon reading the parts about the first boss being defeated. If you'd like, we could meet up tomorrow. How about 5:45 a.m. at the town square in «Urbus»? If you don't know how to get there, simply say 'Teleport Urbus' at the teleporter in** **«Tolbana** **». I'll** **s** **ee you there!"**

 **Sent**

 _'What a cheesy message! What the hell was I thinking!'_ She'll probably read the message and think he was the nerdiest loser in all of Aincrad. Maybe he should have taken the aggressive approach? Nice guys usually finish last, so if he played the tough guy and said, 'Hey bitch, meet me up at Urbus,' would it have worked?

Kirito sighed hanging his head low. There wasn't much use thinking about it now. All he could do was hope she would go easy on him. This is for the best anyways. By meeting up, he could check and see if she's told anyone about him or if she truly kept it a secret. She shouldn't have much trouble making her way to «Urbus». Once a town was explored and the warp gate was activated, anyone could teleport to it from another town with its own warp gate. With dreadful thoughts clouding his mind, Kirito made his way to «Urbus», taking off his ring and coat, as well as equipping his lowly armor so he could stay secretive. This would be the first time he entered «Urbus» ever since the beta.

The beta. It seems so long ago since he first logged into it and experienced the wonders of SAO. He had many great adventures inside it, adventures he would soon experience again. A smile crept up on him. There wasn't a need to reminisce on the beta as he would be able to play until his heart was content. What's better is that things were different this time around, which made his playthrough an even tougher challenge.

"Well, I guess not everything is different." He said aloud as he stepped inside «Urbus». From the looks of it, everything was exactly the same. That was alright, he still had plenty floors to go. He couldn't wait to unveil the secrets SAO had to show.

Kirito walked up towards the blacksmithing shop. Another asset the town had was that it has a twenty-four hour blacksmith. It was too bad that it was only useful for low level items. He would be able to repair his «Anneal Blade», the «Ring of Charos» and his «Defiance Set» just fine because they were useable at level one, but anything above level five would be damaged. His «Coat of Midnight» would also be safe, as it just met the mark at level 5. Glancing to see if anyone was around, he reequipped his trusty «Ring of Charos» to repair his items with minimal cost before making his way to an inn.

The sound of voices caught Kirito's attention. Looking ahead at one of the few inn's in «Urbus», he saw a few players chatting rather angrily in front of the doorway. _'Well, it is a new floor. Shouldn't be surprised there are still people roaming the streets this late at night.'_ He thought before taking his ring off again. Wouldn't want anyone seeing that.

He tried to walk past the players, but they stopped him. "Hey, you planning on renting out a room?" The tallest one asked him. Kirito turned to the group. He could guess from the beards on their face and difference in height, that they were all a solid ten years older than him. The man and his two friends seemed to have a look of expectancy on their faces.

A bored look masked Kirito's aggravation. "Yeah, is there a problem?" He asked, apathy lacing his tone. This was his defense against people. Whenever a stranger or someone he didn't like approached him, his expression would drop into one of indifference and his demeanor would stiffen, guarding himself from others.

The player shrugged off his nonchalant attitude. "Yep, thought so. Sorry kid, but there ain't anymore inns in this town. They all got rented out by other players." His two friends nodded along with his words.

"Oh." Was all he could reply. Once again, players have gotten in his way. He should expect this sort of outcome by now. Really, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. _'Maybe Asuna got a room here?'_ If he messaged her, she might let him room with h- No no no, that wouldn't work and he knew it.

He turned and walked away from the players as they continued to talk amongst themselves. _'Should I go back to «Tolbana» and rent a room there?'_ It was hard getting a room when players began showing up there. Because Kirito was there first, he was able to rent his room out repeatedly for as long as he liked. Since he was going to the second floor, he let the rental time die out. For a moment, he had forgotten that other players would be at «Urbus» before he would, and that had cost him a room. He knew those three men probably thought of going to «Tolbana» for a room too. Taking in to account that they haven't already teleported there, Tolbana's inns must also be packed full.

Another dreaded sigh made it's way out of Kirito. _'Guess I'll just sleep on a rooftop.'_ It wouldn't be the first time he had slept on one. The reason why it wasn't done much was because no one wanted to sleep outside, and because no one could climb on top of them. There skills were too weak to get onto roofs. Kirito didn't care about sleeping outdoors, so of course he found a way to get onto a roof. In «Urbus», there was a tall fence that surrounded an npc house. Using his higher than average player stats, he ran up the fence and climbed to the top. He balanced himself carefully before jumping from the fence onto the home. There were a few buildings that had flat roofs, so he leaped from house to house until he came across one. He sat down and categorized his assorted items in his inventory so he could make a quick sell tomorrow. Taking off his weapon and storing it away, he set his alarm for 5:30 a.m. so he would be awake by the time he met up with Asuna. Yawning, Kirito gently lied down on the rooftop and put his hands behind his head. He began dozing off before finally falling asleep.

* * *

 _5:34 a.m._

Kirito yawned into his arm. He thought he was used to waking up early. He hasn't felt this tired before, so why now? _'Maybe my body's telling me it doesn't want to meet up with Asuna.'_ He speculated. Nah, it was just coincidence. "Well I'm here. Guess I'll wait for her to show." He mumbled to himself, sitting on a wooden bench that was next to a statue of a man. The sculpture depicted the founder of «Urbus», which was now the old man on top of the mountain. Although the statue looked pristine, it was very old because it depicted the man in his early twenties.

He looked around the town square. It was surprisingly empty. Then again, it was super early in the morning. Guess there weren't any early birds in SAO. He opened up his menu.

 _5:36 a.m._

 _'Maybe I should of set the alarm to 5:40.'_ At this rate, he would be waiting here all da-

"YOU!" A loud voice screamed making Kirito jump. He quickly turned in the direction of the voice where a hooded figure was making their way towards him.

"Wha-"

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU REPLIED TO ANY OF MY MESSAGES!"

Kirito put his hands up in defense. "Hey! Calm dow-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN YOU JERK!" She yelled with utmost fury. "YOU HAD ME WORRIED! I THOUGHT YOU DIED!"

He looked at the building nearby. Windows were beginning to open up and he could see heads popping out. She was drawing a lot of attention to them. "Asuna please! I understand you're mad, but can we please do this somewhere else?" He asked with quickness, gesturing to the watchers around them.

Asuna looked around from under her hood. Her angry look changed into one of embarrassment. Her face turned red. She tried to say something to disguise it, but all she could do was nod dumbly, pulling her hood further down her face.

"Good, follow me." Kirito said, also embarrassed. At least she wasn't those kind of girls who scream at people without any precautions. It was nice to know she was willing to listen to reason. He led her away from the square with haste in his footsteps. He hated being the center of attention, more then that, he hated being the center of attention when something embarrassing just happened to him. Why did she put him through that?

Kirito stopped at an npc house. There was a bench next to it where they could sit which was quite a ways away from the player inns. On this side of town, there shouldn't be any players nearby this early in the day. "Wanna sit?" He asked with kindness, sitting down and patting the seat next to him. She quietly nodded again and sat down, still embarrassed from her outburst.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

He looked at her with soft eyes. Here he was thinking about himself while she was thinking about him. "Don't beat yourself up over it." He sighed scratching the back of his head. "Besides, it was my fault to begin with, sorry." He apologized back. "Guess I'm just not used to receiving messages from people."

She looked satisfied with that answer, perking up with a smile. "Well now that all that's out of the way, what were you up to Kirito?" Surely he was doing something important. When she woke up, she immediately saw his message glowing in her vision. If he didn't even notice hers, he must've been completely absorbed into something.

He stiffened and looked around vigilantly. He sighed and looked back at her with a scowl. "Your not suppose to say my name, remember?" If there had been any players around, he could have very well been screwed.

Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! I didn't even notice!" She bowed her head in shame. "I'm sorry!"

Kirito rubbed his forehead. "We're gonna need to work on your secretive skills." His glare returned, ten times as fierce. "That being said, you haven't told anyone, have you?"

It was her turn to stiffen. "N-no I havent! I-I promise!" She stuttered out anxiously, suddenly finding her feet interesting. He stared her down like a predator would prey, looking at her posture for any signs of deceit. Asuna squirmed under his gaze, unable to look back at him.

Unable to detect anything, his glare let up. "I guess I have to believe you." He shrugged. No one had come up to him claiming he was 'Kirito,' and he didn't have any proof that she did tell someone. He had no choice but to give her the benefit of the doubt. Asuna let her shoulders slump down, finally able to breathe again. "As for your question, well..." He couldn't tell her that he was on an adrenaline high after defeating the first floor boss by himself. He couldn't tell her that he was out grinding on the second floor either. That would give himself away, and would make her very suspicious. He gathered up a convincing story and scratched his cheek in chagrin. "I stayed up too long the other day and accidentally slept in. It took me awhile to find the «Moonflower» and by the time I finally found it, the sun was rising." He explained with a smile of embarrassment, trying to make his excuse sound plausible. "Sorry."

Asuna's face scrunched up, irritation leaking from her. A drop of sweat fell down Kirito's face. "That's it? That's what you were up to?" She said in bewilderment. "Geez! How long can you sleep!?"

Kirito inwardly sighed. She believed his lie. "I know, I know. When you told me the first floor was cleared, I was really surprised." He said with a chuckle that exposed some of his relief. Then he frowned. _'Now that I think about it. I've lied to her a whole lot.'_ He thought with resentment towards himself. This was how it had to be done though. If he was going to play the game the way he wanted, he would have to lie to people. It just came with the choice.

"You're such a boy." She huffed out with her cheeks puffed, crossing her arms and turning away from him. Kirito watched her antics with a true smile. She was actually quite adorable when she pouted like that.

 _'What am I thinking?'_ He shook his head out of his thoughts. Sure, she was definitely cute. Easily the hottest girl he'd ever scene. What was better was that she looked around his age. _'But a girl like that would never like a guy like me.'_ There wasn't a point in thinking about such a frivolous fantasy. The farthest he could go was the friendzone. Some guys would try to get out of it, but he knew his place. Once you're in, you can never leave. "So, what else did you want to tell me?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah!" She said suddenly remembering why they were meeting up. She rubbed her arm, a little embarrassed. "Well, I pretty much said everything in those messages I sent you. I guess I just wanted someone to talk about it with."

Kirito almost rolled his eyes. _'So, she's a gossiping girl?'_ He thought. She probably misses talking to her friends in the real world. Since he was possibly her only friend in this world, and with the obvious lack of females around, she had no one else to go to. Still, Kirito didn't like the thought of being a substitute for a gossiping schoolgirl. He could only think of one word to describe the predicament he found himself in.

Typical.

He sighed. Might as well oblige her. Besides, this way, it would be easier to make it up to her. "So, you wanna pick my brain?" She nodded vigorously, excitement bubbling up inside her. He could tell she really wanted to gossip with him. He checked the time.

 _5:57 a.m._

Woah, wasn't it 5:36 just a moment ago? Time flew by quick! An epiphany struck Kirito, an amazing idea began to formulate inside his head. He knew how to make it up to her. This was perfect. "Okay, follow me and we'll talk." He got up from the bench and began walking down the street. Asuna sat in confusion before getting up and following after him.

He led her through several roads, looking at the time in his menu. The place opened up at 6:00 a.m. and it was already 6:03. They were farther away from it than he thought. Kirito sensed a presence looming over his shoulder. "Whatcha looking at?" Asuna asked peeking over his shoulder, trying to steal a glance at his menu. He quickly closed out of it before she could see anything.

"Just checking the time." He said nonchalantly. Wouldn't want her looking at that. If she knew he was level 20, twice the level she was, he'd guess her yell would wake up everyone on this floor and the one before. Asuna grumbled unsatisfied. She wanted a peek at his menu! "We're here." Kirito announced, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Asuna looked at the building Kirito led her to. Her eyes widened. "This is..." She couldn't finish her sentence, stunned at what she was seeing. They were directly in front of... "A... A restaurant!?" She yelled out in happiness.

"Shhh!" Kirito hushed her with a finger over his lips. "We're really close to inns. You'll wake some people up yelling so loudly." He said, making her face flush. It would also do some good on his ears as well. He could say without a doubt that he'd heard enough women screaming in his lifetime. He opened the door for her. "Ladies first." He said with a teasing smile to which Asuna returned.

She stepped inside, looking around the place. You could tell that the small restaurant was mediocre at best, but for someone who'd been trapped in SAO without much luxury, it may as well been five-stars. He followed her inside, closing the door behind him. The first thing he noticed were people sitting down at tables. There were cursors above their heads. _'People beat us here?'_ He questioned in surprise. Its only been opened for three minutes and yet players already made their way here?

He thought for a moment. _'Now I get it. These players must be beta testers.'_ They woke up early in the morning so they could have a good meal before the place was leaked to the public. This was the only restaurant on this floor. What's worse, it only serves breakfast through 6:00 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. If they were stuck on this floor for another month like the last one, then this would probably be their only chance to eat here before the place would be constantly packed to the brim with people.

The only other shop that sold food on this floor was in another town far away from the restaurant. They only sold small dried foods that could be used on the field, and even they only had a limited supply per day. Kirito quickly speculated his options. If this really was their only chance to eat at this restaurant, he should probably pack up on dry foods to take out with him onto the field. He finished the rest of his milk and cookies, giving the majority of them to Asuna. He would need to find something else to satiate him. That town was way to far away to be worth traveling to. He would waste way too much xp for little payout. His best option would be to teleport to «Tolbana» and buy food there. It wouldn't be that good, but it was something.

Before he could think about it further, faces turned into their direction, gazes lingering on Asuna's hooded figure. This made the both of them shuffle around uncomfortably. Kirito because of his social anxiety and Asuna because they probably heard her outburst outside.

"Welcome!" The two nervous players jumped slightly at the voice. It was an npc waitress greeting them. Snickers could be heard by the tables, making their faces light up. Asuna was lucky, at least no one could see her blush. "Are you here together?" The waitress asked. They both nodded in sync, voices suddenly stuck inside their throats. "Follow me please!" She said cheerfully, leading the two to a small table with two chairs on each side.

The table was in the corner of the restaurant. Good, that's how Kirito preferred it. Hearing Asuna sigh in relief led him to believe that she was also happy with the npc's decision. They were each handed a menu. "What will it be?" The npc politely asked with a notebook in her hands, oblivious to the players around her.

Kirito didn't bother reading the menu. He already knew what he wanted. "I'll have eggs and bacon."

"Would you like a drink?"

He thought for a second. "Orange juice." He said. Normally he would have preferred milk, but since he'd had it recently, he decided to mix it up.

The npc turned towards Asuna. "And what would you like?" She asked with a shining smile.

The hooded girl shuffled nervously in her seat, the sudden shift in attention made her feel awkward. She looked like she was having trouble forming words. Was she still embarrassed about that whole incident a moment ago? Or is she just to afraid to order something? She softly cleared her throat. "I-I'll have the same thing." She quietly spoke out.

The waitress wrote down their orders. "Coming right up." She said in a mirthful voice, trotting away. Their eyes followed her as she left. When she disappeared into the kitchen, Asuna let her shoulders drop, breathing in relief.

Kirito raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" He asked, confused at her behavior. "She was just an npc. As real as they seem, they're not sentient." He patronized. Truth be told, he was the exact same way as her the first time he spoke with an npc. Not that she needed to know anyway...

Asuna looked surprised at this information. "That was an npc?" The information struck her in amazement. She knew they existed, but were surprised at how similar they looked to players. "She looked so real." She whispered to him, purposely keeping her voice low.

He nodded back to her. "Wait a second, was that your first time interacting with an npc?" Kirito asked dumbfounded. There was no way she hasn't spoken to an npc by now.

"No, of course I have!" She said in her loudest whisper. "The blacksmith I talked to yesterday seemed npc'ish." She spoke out. She originally thought he was a real person, but if all npc's looked like that girl did, then he may of actually been an npc. "I asked him to repair my gear just like you said, remember?"

"Oh yeah? And how did that go?"

She balled her fists on top of the table. "That jerk wouldn't listen to me! I had to haggle him for ten minutes before he finally repaired my equipment!" She whispered again in annoyance, recalling that stupid old man. Even worse, he charged insane prices!

Kirito facepalmed. Was it really that difficult? "Like I said, npc's are not sentient. The only way you can communicate to them effectively is with simple voice commands." This had to be a prank right? It just wasn't possible to be so nooby at a video game. "The only ones worth talking to are ones that have a question mark above their heads. That means they have a quest for you." He decided to fill her in, in case she went about talking to every npc she came across.

Asuna heard the disbelieving tone in his voice and glared at him. "It's your fault for not teaching me about that earlier!" She quickly whispered with tamed rage.

He sighed. Did he really have to tell her something THAT basic? Actually, yeah, he probably should have. Of course she just had to blame him for it. He looked at her hooded face, feeling the small glare coming from under it. She made it seem like playing the game was difficult. Not even a eight-year-old should be having her kind of troubles. It almost made him chuckle at how bad she was. A small smile escaped him. Although the girl was a hassle to deal with, he was kind of glad he ran into her that day.

"How about we talk about something else?" There wasn't a need to discuss how bad she was. They both knew she was terrible; nothing else to say about it. "Wanna tell me why your whispering?" Kirito said, taking interest in her actions. He was also talking quietly, but not quiet enough to be whispering.

Asuna's glare dropped. He could see a frown underneath her hood. "Because I'm a girl." She said, downcast. She didn't have the luxury to speak up in public places. She was a girl, and that meant her feminine voice would attract people towards her. She tried speaking to others before, trying to get in contact with anyone who knew a way to log out, but her efforts didn't go so well. Girls were apparently scarce in the video game world. When one was found, they would be glomped by men everywhere. At first she thought they were being nice, but when she looked into their eyes, she could see that they were just like everyone else in the real world who tried taking advantage of her.

Kirito knew he stepped on a landmine. A look of regret shown on his face. "I'm sorry. I-"

"It's okay." Asuna cut him off. She knew he didn't mean to bring that up. It wasn't his fault.

The mood felt tense between the two once again. _'I hope it isn't always like this between us.'_ Kirito thought uncomfortably. How many awkward moments have they had between each other now? He'd lost count at this point. _'Come on man, snap out of it.'_ He couldn't be the one to think like that. He was the guy, so he should be the one to take charge. Kirito placed his elbow on the table and leaned on his hand, giving Asuna his best smile, ready to gossip. "Well, go ahead and ask away."

"Huh?" She questioned him. Giving her a look, she figured out what he meant. "Oh right, the second floor." Asuna gave him a smile of her own, making his heart jump. "I totally forgot. That's the second time that's happened now." She said, placing her hand on her mouth to stifle her giggles. Good, it seems the mood's returned. Asuna folded her hands on her lap in a polite manner. "We'll, I guess I wanna start off with how."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the only way to get to the second floor is if we beat the boss on the first floor, correct?" He nodded. "Like I said in my messages, we never got there. The meeting only just began when the announcement went off." They heard a noise across the room, making her pause. From the looks of it, more players were arriving to dine at the restaurant. Her attention fell back on Kirito. "Some other group must have beaten us there, but who?" She began pondering in her head. Just what kind of group was it? Who were they? How many? How strong? And how did they know where the boss room was? As far as anyone knew, the only people to know where it was at were the ones who started the boss meeting.

Kirito had to strongly grit his teeth in silence. He could not laugh. He must absolutely not laugh. Of course no one would speculate that a SINGLE player took out a floor boss. Not even the players who followed the pro gamer 'Kirito' would believe that he soloed the boss. He coughed into his hand, disguising any form of laughter into it. He looked away from her. If he made eye contact with her, he might slip up. His antics made her confused. Did she say something weird? "It looks like we have a mystery on our hands." Kirito said smoothly. He may of been awkward around people, but he was an expert at concealing his inner thoughts. He didn't want to lie to her again, but telling her he beat the boss was out of the question.

Asuna sat there thinking about what could have happened while Kirito watched her in silence, waiting for her next question. A look of surprise flashed on her face, as if she figured the mystery out, surprising him. The look quickly disappeared. She begun to stare at him, her eyebrows slightly narrowed. Uh oh. What did he do this time? That look she was giving is anything but good. Whatever she was about to say, he had to be careful when he answered.

"So..." She dragged out, suspicion leaking from her voice, once again catching him off guard. "Did YOU happened to see anyone while you were out late last night?" She questioned with a low whisper. Even though her voice was quiet, it was asked with vehemence. What was she planning?

Kirito brushed off her malicious tone, pretending he didn't comprehend it, instead he simply placed his elbow back onto the table with his head once again in his hand. "No, not at all. I was so deep in the forest, immersed in hiding from the wolves while searching for the «Moonflower» that I couldn't have heard or seen anything, even if I tried." He casually explained, sighing because he 'missed his chance' to catch the mystery group. In actuality, he was just trying to make his argument more believable.

She wasn't done though. "Didn't see anything, huh?" Her voice held more confidence. She leaned onto the table, suspense taking hold of her actions. "Could it be because it was YOU who beat the boss?" Her bold statement was whisked away in the wind, preventing anyone else from hearing it. But he heard it.

He blinked. Did he just hear what he thought he just heard? Surely his ears were deceiving him. There was no way she could possibly be accusing him of something like that. Kirito felt a small rush of rage brush over him, nearly showing itself on his features. He held it back in the corners of his mind before it slipped. _'Not here. Don't get mad in a place like this.'_ This was a problem he had. It never really showed itself because he never talked to anyone or did anything other than play video games. Nevertheless, it was there. He had an anger issue. Whenever someone accused him of something, or tried back-stabbing him, he would become incredibly furious.

He quickly calmed himself. He had no right to get mad at her anyways. After all, he really did beat the boss, not that she could know that. Still, it hurt to know that she suspected him. He felt sort of betrayed. _'Maybe she'll feel like this if she ever found out about the lies I told her.'_ He thought, hoping that she would never learn about that. Kirito gave her an unpleasant sigh. "And here I thought you couldn't become anymore terrible at this game. But here you are, proving me wrong. Congrats." He jabbed at her, making her cheeks puff up in anger. He cut her off before she could reply. "Think about what your saying. Do you really think I alone could beat a floor boss?" He whispered back at her incredulously.

The look of ridiculousness on his face made her confidence shake. _'Are bosses really that hard?'_ She questioned herself. It wasn't like she ever fought one, so she had no idea if they were as tough as he made them out to be. Considering who he was and what he thought about them, they must have been pretty dang difficult. A look of shame graced her face as she looked down. "Are they really that bad?" She asked, weakly putting up her last line of defense.

"Really that bad?" He restated. "Try fighting a monster at least five times the size of a normal one, add incredible strength, defense, four bars of health to it, and ask me if its that bad." He wasn't exaggerating about it. It was absolutely ridiculous for a person to take on a monster like that by themselves. _'But I never said impossible.'_ He added in his head.

Asuna's head fell lower with each fact he listed off about bosses until her face was planted on the table. "That's not so bad." Sarcasm pathetically leaked from the words she spoke.

Kirito watched her sulk, amusement in his eyes. "Come on, no use grieving over it." He said trying and failing to cheer her up. Another thought occurred to him. "Hey, tell me why you accused me of fighting the boss." He didn't want her thinking things like that. If she didn't trust him, then she would probably rat him out. Although he was lying to her, and therefore she probably shouldn't trust him, he couldn't have her doing that. His throat ran dry when he thought about it like that, making it hard to speak. _'Its for the best.'_ He thought reassuringly, casting away any feelings of regret away. He already made his decision, now it was time to stick with it.

She looked up at him, sorrow on her face. "W-Well, you were out late, and you aren't wearing your fancy armor you had on last time." She stuttered out. "You also know a lot about this game, so I thought maybe..." Her voice died out, regretting she even accused him in the first place.

He shook his head, lazily laying back in his chair. "You should have at least looked into bosses more before you began accusing me." He scolded. "If I did something like that, I would have to have several groups of players backing me up, which wouldn't make since because I want to remain anonymous, remember?" He said, putting everything together for her.

"I know." She said solemnly, already figuring that part out. She sat in silence before laughing weakly. "Here I am accusing the only friend I have over something so stupid. I'm not a very good person am I?" Kirito's eyes widened. Did it really affect her that badly? She looked like she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide away in a corner. Sure she made him angry for a small second, but he explained everything out to her. He didn't think much of it, so why did she? "I'm so sorry." She croaked out, bowing her head low. Hearing that made his stomach churn, the thoughts of regret he cast away rushed back tenfold. Not only was he lying to her, but he also made her feel guilty from said lie. Kirito shook his head, disgusted with himself.

If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that he didn't like seeing her sad. He had to cheer her up, fast. "Um." Come on, say something! "Its not a big deal, really. I like having you around. Your still learning about the game, so don't go beating yourself up over something like that." He said truthfully. "Besides, it should be me apologizing for the mean things I said about your skills in the game. I've seen what you can do, and you're actually a good fighter." Kirito added, with a little more passion in his voice then he planned.

She looked up in surprise. A small smile grazed her face. For a nerd, he was actually really sweet. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Hmm?" He questioned, unable to hear her.

Before she could answer him, the waitress walked up to their table. "Here you go! Enjoy!" She set their food down in front of them respectively. Asuna instantly perked up. She picked up her silverware and began eating with much more control over herself, unlike the last time he seen her eat when she gave in to temptation and devoured her food in milliseconds.

The cloaked girl chewed quietly before she spoke, "Its different."

"Uh huh." Kirito responded. Most food in SAO wasn't like food in real life. You wouldn't be finding your traditional foods here. Things like pizza, hamburgers, or other modern culture cuisines were out. They were lucky to get things like eggs and bacon, albeit they tasted much different. "SAO's timeline is ancient, so you won't be tasting anything your used to." He said in-between bites. Asuna hummed, thinking about his words before taking another bite.

"Its still good though." She said, her smile reappearing.

His heart jumped again. It seemed like her smile would always have that effect on him. The mood was much better now then it was a moment ago. He wished it was always like this. It was kind of nice, eating with a pretty girl in a small breakfast joint. He never could have imagined himself doing something like this in real life. He probably would never have the chance to either. He shrugged. It didn't really matter now. He would enjoy it now while he had the chance, and maybe in the future, the two of them could do this again.

* * *

Kirito and Asuna walked out of the restaurant with satisfied looks on their faces. They each had a couple plates before they were done, courtesy of Kirito who paid for the meal. Getting an extra 30,000 col from killing a floor boss gives you quite a lot of pocket money. They finished up their chat about the boss, speculating what could have happened. Asuna was still as clueless as she was before they talked, while Kirito shamelessly rebutted her questions with his own thoughts on the subject, finding her desperation for info humorous. The hooded girl stretched her arms over her head with contentment. "Well, what now?" She asked, avoiding the use of his name.

He noticed this and smirked at her. "Well, just because we're on the second floor doesn't mean we should start slacking." He responded. "We've had our fun. Its time to get back to work."

The hooded girl groaned in sadness. "Yeah, I guess your right." She wished she had more time to relax, but she knew that wasn't possible. Kirito told her yesterday that the players who get to new quest or locations first usually get the best xp and equipment. If she was going to keep up with Kirito and everyone else, she would have to start pulling her weight. "We have to get out of here as soon as we can." She said with newfound determination. They couldn't wait around for the people in the real world to rescue them. For all they knew, it could be years before they found a way to get them out safely. _'How long do we even have?'_ Asuna thought in fear.

Its already been a month. Everyone who was still alive has probably already been transferred to a hospital so they can be monitored. Right now, the only thing that was keeping them alive were the machines they were hooked up to, and the people looking after them. But that wouldn't last forever, would it? Could they even beat all one hundred floors within the time they have before their bodies gave out? It was scary to think about, but it was something that had to be taken into consideration.

Kirito was taken aback from the resolve in her voice. This girl had more mood swings than he could count. First she was angry, embarrassed, happy, curious, sad, tired, now determined, all in the span of an hour. This wasn't the first time a girl confused him, and it wouldn't be the last. He paused for a moment to think about what she said. _'She wants to get out?'_ That wasn't unusual. Most, no, everyone trapped in here wants to get out. Everyone except him. This game was a thousand times better than real life. He didn't ever want to leave.

He felt her hazel eyes look at him with confidence. It didn't make since. The first time he met her, she seemed depressed. The look in her eyes made it seem like she was trying to hide away from the world and everyone on it. Now she looked like a completely different person. Not only that, but she truly believed they could beat the game. She looked so confident that it made him believe it too. He scratched the back of his head and once again sighed. She noticed that she made him sigh a lot, which was beginning to irk her. "Well, if you wanna get out that badly, your gonna have to level up, fast." He told her, an amused smile on his face.

 _'I guess I'll humor her.'_ He thought. He didn't want to get out, but he wouldn't stop her from trying. Besides, its not like he had to worry about the game ending anytime soon. They still had a long way to go before they reached the 100th floor. "There's a few quest you should do before other people take them. They should help you out a bit." He informed her. "Here, open your menu and I will show you."

Asuna nodded. "Right." She understood now. Quest and items in the game were scarce. She'd have to take as many opportunities she could to level up and get stronger. It made her feel a little guilty, as she felt she would be hogging them to herself, but it had to be done. It wasn't like she was cheating, and it was completely fair if she got to the quest first before others did. She pulled up her menu and Kirito had her circle locations for quest she should take, also drawing her a map of the floor with the safest paths to travel.

"Aren't you going to do these quests?" She asked him with confusion. "You said that they could only be done a limited number of times, so shouldn't you be doing them with me?" If he was also going to do these quests, it would be a lot safer if they did them together.

He shook his head. "Nah, there's a few things I need to do before them." He gave her a smile to ease her concern. "Don't worry, I'll get to them soon before they're taken." Asuna frowned, unsatisfied. This was the second time he would be bailing on her before they could do a quest together. She groaned. Why is he so mysterious!?

She opened her mouth to retort him, but sighed in acceptance. "Oh, fine." She knew he'd made up his mind. She then jabbed her finger into his chest. "But this better not become a regular thing!" She exclaimed, making him back away with his hands up. "I expect compensation for this! Next time, your going questing with me!"

"Okay, okay!" Kirito said, giving in to her demands. Why are women so forceful?

"Hmph." She folded her arms. "I'll hold you to it." She said, making Kirito sweatdrop.

"R-Right." He stuttered out, forcing a smile. "Well, until next time." He said, walking past her with nervous haste. He picked his feet up faster after feeling her eyes on him, trying to escape her gaze. She watched him walk away with a glare. When his figure faded away, her glare dropped into a happy smile.

"Until next time." She giggled.

* * *

"Hah!" Kirito grunted, striking an «Angry Taurus» with a «Vertical» sword skill, bisecting it. He yawned before flicking his sword, sheathing it on his back. He was currently exploring through the dungeon that was supposed to lead to the second floor boss. Like floor one, the second floor's boss room was in a different location, and it has yet to be found. There was a good chance that this would be a continuous pattern for the floors to come.

 _'Maybe I should get some sleep.'_ Kirito thought in lethargy. Starting in the early afternoon, he'd been grinding in the dungeon all day, and it was now going on 3:00 a.m. He's explored a lot of the dungeon, and from the looks of it, he'd mapped out at least half of the area. Unlike some other games where you can buy a map for guidance, players would have to map areas out themselves. By Kirito's standards, it wasn't that hard, but most people generally had trouble with it.

He looked up at his health bar. Still full. He never had to use potions because of his newest addition to his skill list, «Battle Healing». On the off chance a monster hit him, his health would regenerate the small portion of damage it did, and by the time another monster hit him, his health would already be full again. He struck down another taurus that sloppily charged at him. It was just too easy nowadays. Most monsters only needed one well-placed sword skill to defeat them. _'I guess that's what happens when you fight level 13 monsters at level 22.'_

Its been a week since floor two was opened up, and in that time, he could only level himself up twice. Even with his method, the xp just wasn't great enough for his level. After his method began to get inefficient, Kirito decided to grind out in the boss dungeon. Sure it would be less xp, but if he could find out where the second boss was, maybe he could defeat it like he did Illfang and go up a floor. After that, he could try to level up some more before going back to floor one and begin grinding out in the hidden dungeon. There were a lot of high leveled monsters still in it. He wasn't able to fight them then, but he could now. He was having a lot of fun leveling, there was only one problem.

The world of Aincrad was in a frenzy. The biggest news that made headlines was the obvious floor two mysteriously opening up. There were the obvious questions circling around. Who did it? How? Why? Then there were the more thoughtful questions asked. Was it a ploy from Kayaba? Or was he trying to aid them, and speed up the process of the game? The one who reported this news was the rat herself, Argo, who now had her own printing press. She and a few of her helpers find out news and report it in a paper they write called the «Weekly Argo» that, as the name states, will have a new installment every week. The paper gets sold to local general stores where players can buy it for 50 col to read all the latest news and rumors, as well as small tips and tricks on the current floor. They've already sold out three times, and judging by the overwhelming positive responses it's gotten, will be selling for a long time to come.

Kirito blanched at the idea of her being one of the richest players in Aincrad. It probably wasn't wise for her to have so many funds. She would probably use it to find even more devious ways to make money. He himself had also made a fortune grinding out on mobs and when he defeated Illfang, but at the incredible rate her business was growing, she would pass him up in the next one or two floors.

Another major story that Argo posted in her paper was the creation of the «Monument of Life» that appeared a few days ago in the «Town of Beginnings». The monument was at the location of the previous «Room of Resurrection», where players used to respawn after they died. The monument had all 10,000 player names on it, and the way it worked was simple. The names that were crossed out meant that the player was dead, and if it wasn't, they were alive. This wouldn't be much of a problem for Kirito, except...

IT DISPLAYED HIS NAME ON IT!

It didn't take long for players to find out that THEE 'Kirito' was actually trapped in the game, AND alive. Of course Argo couldn't pass up a story like that, so she wrote an article with bold letters stating: "KIRITO IS ALIVE!" People all over had been looking for him, whether they were actual players playing the game, or kept stationary in the «Town of Beginnings». Argo had her crew do a massive sweep in the starting town, looking for him. She probably wanted to chew him out for deleting her. After coming up short, they basically confirmed that he wasn't there hiding away, and that he was actually PLAYING the game. Not only did this irk people, but it also made them suspicious. Questions began popping up, like "Is Kirito working with Kayaba?" Or, "Did Kirito betray us?" Some of the more faithful players asked questions like, "Did Kirito lead a group of players to beat the boss?" It all got out of hand real fast. He already speculated this before, but now he knew there was no way he could reveal himself. That kind of backlash would be too much for him to handle.

Kirito sighed in irritation. Was Kayaba messing with him? That bastard had to of known he was trying to stay on the down low, so why! Kirito swung his blade in anger, smashing into an «Angry Taurus». The force of the blow hit the creature so strong it slammed into the nearby wall, obliterating it. He let out a calming breath. He should be fine. They did not know his face, and as long as his identity remained secret, they would never find him.

He thought back to what happened a couple days ago, making him frown. Asuna was spamming him with messages about how people were looking for him and why. He met up with her in person and explained that he was a famous 'pro gamer' that most players knew about. When she asked why they were angry, he told her they were probably mad that he kept himself hidden from them, even though he was a valuable asset. They talked for a few hours. She kept asking if he would be okay or what he was planning to do. He said that he didn't plan on revealing himself to them, and she promised she wouldn't rat him out as long as he didn't want to be found, which took him by surprise. He thought she too would be angry at him for hiding away from people when he was needed.

 _'She must've felt sympathy for me.'_ Kirito thought with guilt, once again belittling himself. She probably understood that a guy like him usually kept to himself, and wouldn't do well in front of all those people. His frown deepened. The worst part about all of this was making Asuna worry about him. She was too sweet for her own good, comforting him when she didn't need to. He had to make it up to her. He couldn't take her to that restaurant again. As predicted, it was packed full with people, with players camping out in front of the doors to get a chance to eat there. That option was definitely out, but maybe he could do something for her in the upcoming floors...

Kirito turned into the next passageway, mapping out the area behind him into his menu data. He didn't get to far down the corridor before he was stopped.

"This is.." Two iron doors several times his size stood before him. He'd found it already? It was even easier to find then it was the first floor doors. Then again, he knew the doors would be in a different location, so he went on a path vastly different than the previous one. Like all boss door's, they had a different design on them than the first floor's. Instead of diamond shapes embedded into it, it had several horizontal lines of triangles across it. One triangle was upward, the next downward, and the pattern repeated.

"I guess that's it for today." He could take on the dungeon tomorrow. Staying up as late as he had, doing it now could be risky, even for his level. Bosses were way stronger and moved way different from your average mob. If the boss was tampered with like Illfang, it could prove to be a challenge. Kirito turned on his foot and began walking back to town.

Wait. No. This wasn't right.

He stopped himself. His drowsiness must be getting to him. What was he thinking? Leaving the boss room alone could prove to be a mistake. Last time, a player group found the boss room and planned on having a meeting that was set to a certain date. At the time, he knew when they were going to fight it, and was able to adjust his plans accordingly. Now, no one had found it, and nothing noteworthy has been announced either.

But who said no one actually DID find it?

A group of players COULD have found it, but decided to keep the information to themselves, so they would be able to fight it. Most people probably thought the boss info was leaked, and that the new group stole the boss away from the raid party. Now, no one would be sharing any information, so he could not adjust his plans to theirs. If he came tomorrow, there is a chance that the boss would be defeated. He wouldn't have another chance like this for a long time to come, if at all. He was lucky last time, and now he's received that same chance. He was certainly blessed.

Or was he cursed?

If he did go in there, he could really die. That would always be a possible outcome. He knew better than anyone to NEVER take on more than what you can. He was good, but he wasn't a God. He didn't have any time to prepare for this dungeon, and one mistake could cost him his life. Kirito debated on this. Should he really risk it? Was it worth it? Then he thought back to when he defeated Illfang with an «Uppercut». The rush he got, the feeling that he alone lived for...

Kirito smiled. "Well, this truly may be the last chance I'll ever have to solo a boss. There's no way I can pass this opportunity up." He made his decision. Who needs sleep anyway? This wasn't the first time he traded in sleep for fun. Back when he played RAIZE, he stayed up nearly three consecutive days grinding out his combat skills. This was nothing.

Taking out an apple and some water from his inventory, he sat down in front of the boss doors and ate. _'Good thing I brought rations with me.'_ He received the apple from a sweet deal he made with a greedy npc. Using the «Ring of Charos», he was able to cut the cost down to a third of the price the npc offered. He was still overpaying for it, but with the col he had, it was an easy buy.

"This may be my last meal." He chuckled out, the thought of death lingering in his mind. He swallowed the last bit of his apple, downing it with water from his water flask. He cleared his throat before placing the empty container back into his storage. "Who am I kidding? There's no way I'm gonna be defeated here of all places." Any sort of worry was drained from his mind. If he died here this early in the game, then he DESERVED to die. He sat up, withdrawing his sword from his back. "Now or never." He said with a smirk, finalizing the choice he made. He pressed his free hand onto the entrance, slowly opening the heavy doors.

The room was dark. Even so, Kirito pressed on in confidence, already knowing the room would light up upon entering further. Just as predicted, the lights around the room glowed a shining light-blue, removing the darkness in it's entirety. Kirito narrowed his eyes at the creature before him, holding his sword out in front of him. There was a reason why the second floor's theme were taurus monsters. The boss stood on all fours, two sharp horns on it's head, red piercing eyes, icy-blue fur, and a blue diamond on the center of it's forehead. The monster's name was...

«Baran the Freezing Taurus»

The beast let out a mighty roar as it charged at him. Kirito glared at it with conviction.

"You're mine."

* * *

 **There you have it. I actually planned on making this chapter longer, but I've kept you guys waiting long enough. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for some of it, and again sorry it took so long.**

 **There are a few things I would like to discuss before I let you go. First off, for anyone wanting to know, I've changed some facts from the original SAO. I have not read the manga, so I don't know a lot about the story, but I do know a little. I wanted to mix things up a bit, and make things more convenient and interesting for my story. I hope this won't be a bother for any of you.**

 **Next, I want to ask you guys about the character's personalities. I freely change Kirito's because his is supposed to be different for the story, but I am trying to make the other characters keep their original personalities. How have I done so far with Asuna? Let me know.**

 **Also, I know that there will be questions asking about where the story is going. So far, the plot has only just begun. I don't know how long the story will be, but there will be a few time skips because I cannot write all one hundred floors efficiently, accurately, or make each of them entertaining. Nor do I want to. Nevertheless, I do plan on finishing this story, even if my updates are slow.**

 **A quick note, I plan on playing the new Legend of Zelda game that is coming very soon, so I will be taking a break during the beginning of March. You probably won't have to worry because it takes me a long time to update anyway, just thought I would add that in there. The new Sword Art Online movie is coming out in a week or so, and I am really excited for it. Thought I would add that in too.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read, and have a good day.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Quick thanks to everyone who's kept up with the story. I've read a few reviews saying that they really like my fanfiction. I appreciate your reviews, but some of them are very short and vague, making me wonder what you like about it. If you could please review what you like about the story, that would be helpful. That way, I can write more of what you like and less of what you don't, as long as it doesn't effect the plot. I have a pretty good idea where my story is going, and I think you guys will enjoy it.**

 **Remember, if you have any questions or concerns about the story, send me a private message and I will respond kindly. By the way, Zelda Breath of the Wild was amazing. An easy 10/10 for me. Can't wait till the next game, I just hope it won't take several more years to be released.**

 **Again, sorry for the long wait. You already know by now that I am not the fastest at updating, sorry about that. We'll see if I can update quicker.**

* * *

«Baran the Freezing Taurus» roared at Kirito with all it's might, staring him down with murderous intent. It stood in the center of the room, alone. Unlike «Illfang the Kobold Lord» who had minions, this boss did not. _'Or at least it shouldn't.'_ He thought. The player glared back at the boss as it was preparing to charge at him, doing the exact same thing as the other taurus's on floor two did, dragging their hoof across the ground while bending it's back legs. It was preparing to charge. Kirito bent his legs as well, ready to use his «Sprinting» skill any moment. The boss roared once more before running towards Kirito as fast it could.

A move he expected.

The swordsman had already planned out the moves he would make against Baran. He already had experience fighting the boss before and he knew the boss would only start acting different once he'd worn it's hp down. The boss's first move would be a straight on charge, just like every other taurus on the floor, in an attempt to wipe out any heavy equipped player who couldn't move away in time. Kirito set his plan into motion, first making a complete 180 turn and running straight towards the southern wall near the room's entrance.

Kirito approached the wall fast, hearing Baran's hooves smack into the ground harshly. Even with his high level and skill in «Sprinting», the monster was still faster than him. His foot touched the wall as soon as the beast was on top of him.

"Hah!" He grunted, kicking off the wall as hard as he could. The beast's head only barely grazed his coat before it crashed dead into the wall, the weight of it's body making it smash even harder. Kirito wasn't done. He spun his body towards the taurus, briefly glancing at the diamond between it's eyes before sticking his sword straight into it's neck, sliding and dragging the sword down the creature all the way to the base of it's tail.

Most players would probably be tempted to hit the blue gem on it's forehead as it appears to be a weak spot. Most players would be making a mistake. The diamond is where Baran's ice attacks come from, hence the name "Freezing Taurus." It is also very, very hard. Many players struck the gem in the beta, only to have their sword shatter into pieces. Kirito doubted that aspect of the boss had changed and it wasn't worth risking the durability of his only sword.

Baran's screech was muffled by the concrete of the wall pouring onto it. The cloaked player activated «Uppercut», a sword skill striking from the bottom up. This sword skill would allow him to hit the beast's bottom and tail, doing more damage to it. He breathed out a sigh, blinking quickly to rid his exhaustion. _'_ _Good, the way boss room's work still hasn't changed.'_ Kirito thought, glad and relieved his assumption was correct.

Just like the boss room on floor one, this boss room could also be damaged. This was crucial to Kirito's plan. If he was going to defeat the boss, he needed to know if the boss room could be damaged. If it couldn't be damaged, he would have to swallow his pride and turn tail out of the room. His exhaustion was already getting to him and he knew the only way he could beat Baran quickly was by using the room to his advantage. Any other method would take too long and coming up with the method would take even more time, which would in turn make him more tired.

He couldn't afford to waste any time.

The bull-like animal struggled getting it's head out of the wall, particularly it's horns. Kirito was able to pull off one more «Horizontal» before it freed itself. He had to use sword skills carefully, only when the beast was stuck. Despite it's massive size, it was quick. Although sword skills are powerful, there is a major backlash. Each sword skill has a cool down timer, and the player would have to wait a second before they could move again. There is also a timer after the skill is used, so no skill can be used twice in a row.

Baran turned around in search of the black-haired player, only to see him halfway across the room. It snarled in rage before charging at him again. Kirito heard it's loud footsteps approaching him and swiftly peeked over his shoulder to see it. Specifically, it's health bar.

He raised an eyebrow. 'A _little over half on it's first bar.'_ Every floor boss had at least four bars of health, while mini bosses usually had two. This boss was no different. Kirito was actually surprised at how much damaged he'd already done to it. Only a couple minutes in and nearly an eighth of it's health was gone. A boss usually took a couple hours to beat inside the beta because all the players were so under leveled. This time, he was way over leveled, even by his own standards. _'At this rate, I'll win within a half hour. Just don't get hit and your fine.'_ He smirked to himself.

Being powerful was fun.

Kirito repeated this technique, jumping off a pillar in the middle of the room and onto the beast's back. Baran crashed once again, stones falling on top of it's head. Kirito slid down the beast with his sword jammed into it, pulling off two more sword skills on it's behind before taking off again. This time when he peeked at it, the boss's first bar of health was in the red zone.

 _'This'll only work one more time.'_ He thought running towards another wall. The first phase of the boss was pretty simple minded. All it did was rush at it's targets at a super fast speed. As long as you could move out of the way in time, you were safe. _'After he loses his first health bar, his attack patterns will change.'_

The gigantic taurus freed it's horns before charging again. Once more, it foolishly fell for Kirito's trap and slammed into the eastern wall where Kirito nailed it with two more swords skills. It howled in pain and anger, instantly freeing itself from the wall.

Kirito leaped back, grunting as he narrowly dodged the bull's back kick. _'If that had hit me...'_ He cut his thought off, preparing his next move. He knew he would've been sprawled out on the ground where the boss would have then trample him to his death. He shook his head, getting himself back in the game.

The boy looked above the taurus's head. Baran's first health bar was gone and it's second was chipped down by a fifth. The beast did a complete circle, kicking both it's front and back hooves in every direction it could. He knew what it was doing. It was separating itself from the players so it could pull off it's next attack. As Kirito predicted, the horned creature gave a mighty roar and jumped high in the air.

 _'Now!'_ He screamed to himself, also jumping as high as he could. The boss landed first, it's hooves connecting with the ground. The floor shook dangerously as sound-like waves traveled from it's feet. _'Yep, just like the beta.'_ Kirito thought, landing on the ground and running fiercely towards Baran. This was it's second stage. It jumped really high and stomped on the ground hard. When it landed, it would stun any player that was standing on the ground. It would then ram through the stunned player before they could move. The way you could avoid being stunned was also jumping along with the beast to dodge the sound-like waves.

The black haired player ran underneath the bull while it was cooling down from it's attack. He gave a blaring yell before striking the boss multiple times on it's underside. He quickly moved out of the way before he was kicked by the boss. Once again, it was turning in a circle to kick any nearby player away. _'So far so good.'_ Kirito thought, glancing at the depleting health bar of the boss. Using sword skills on it's second stage would be difficult. The bull moves too sporadically and the cool down timer on skills could be fatal. _'On his next jump, rocks will start falling from the ceiling.'_ He predicted from his past beta experience.

Awaiting to be proven correct, Kirito watched as the animal jumped high in the air. He followed in sync with the boss while watching out for falling rocks. His theory was right as both giant and small rocks fell from the ceiling, each one looking scarily sharp. The player in black evaded the falling rocks, crushing the smaller ones with his sword. He repeated his move again against the boss and ravaged it's underside. The beast roared in agony as it's virtual flesh was torn into. Kirito hopped away from it, his eyes connecting with the boss's.

"He really doesn't like me." Kirito sweatdropped, feeling the hate pouring off the beast. It's red eyes shined ominously, attempting to kick the player harming it. Again, Kirito avoided the boss's stun attack and bombarded it with a series of sword slashes. The bull's cry permeated the room, this one sounding much different from it's previous wails. _'This is it! It's third stage!'_ Kirito held his sword in front of him, readying himself for the beast's next move.

In the beta, «Baran the Freezing Taurus» had four stages, each coinciding with each of it's health bars. The first was a simple straightforward attack, attempting to run over the player. The next was jumping to stun the player, as well as causing rocks to fall, creating an aerial-like move. The third stage would be when it starts to use it's ice attacks. The reason why the beast is called the freezing taurus was because of the gem on it's forehead, which enabled it to use ice.

 _'T_ _he third stage will freeze the floor which can also be avoided by jumping and the fourth stage was ice breath which can be avoided by hiding behind the pillars.'_ Kirito recalled. He knew that the boss's attack patterns would change just like Illfang's, and that only happened once Illfang hit it's final bar of health. _'Good, his patterns won't change yet.'_ He paused. _'And if they do, I'll be ready.'_ He took a calm breath, awaiting Baran's ice attack. The only catch is that he would have to balance himself on ice once it froze the floor.

The enormous beast let out one final cry before the crystal on it's head began shining bright. _'This is it!'_ He thought putting power into his legs, readying to jump. It stomped it's two front hooves at Kirito before lowering it's cyan gem to the ground. _'Now-'_ Kirito's eyes widened.

That wasn't an ice attack.

"Gah!" Kirito let out, only half avoiding the fire blast the taurus unleashed. The wounded player bounced across the ground a few times before rolling onto his knees. "My sword!" He yelled, now aware that his prized «Anneal Blade +10» was no longer in his hands.

"Where is it!?" He spoke in panic. Before he could look, another flaming beam fired straight in his direction. "Crap!" He quickly rolled out of the way, the ground he was previously standing on being scorched into, leaving behind a long crater. Kirito ran away from the monster behind a pillar to avoid being burned alive.

 _'What the hell just happened? I thought it was an ice taurus!'_ He processed, trying to get his barrings together. His eyes widened in surprise, realizing his mistake. _'Damn it! He got me again!'_ He said now angered at his foolishness. He should've known Kayaba would have more crazy tricks up his sleeve. The boss's name was what got him. He was completely expecting an ICE attack. Because he was so focused on ice attacks alone, the boss was able to use that weakness to bypass his guard, nailing him. He never would have imagined it would use a fire attack.

Kirito peeked at the horned monster. It was on a cool down from it's attacks, raising it's head to the sky and roaring with all it's might. He glanced above it's head at it's name.

«Baran the Flaming Taurus»

 _'So it's name did change.'_ He thought, his heavy breathing finally slowing down. He looked at his health bar in the corner of his vision. "Yellow?" The blast only hit him half way. Even with his high-tier equipment, it still did that much damage to him? Would it have killed him if he took it completely? _'If it was anyone else, they would have died.'_ He thought as it crossed his mind. He drunk a potion he'd place on his belt, a quick heal. He gulped it down, still thinking about the fire attack. He gasped in shock, realization striking him.

"Yeah, that was definitely meant to kill anyone it was aimed at." He breathed. "Especially beta testers." No question about it. No player would have survived the blast. The only reason he could was because he was so high level and he had good armor. No one else is as strong nor as equipped as he. In that situation, anyone would have been screwed, but it was the beta's that would've been ultimately screwed.

The beta testers were armed with the knowledge of the boss. They would have believed the boss would freeze the ground on it's third phase, jumping in the air. Little would they know that they were being attacked with a wave of fire. The attack would've obliterated them as they wouldn't be able to dodge it midair. He wasn't just hit because the boss used a different attack, but because the game used his own beta knowledge against him.

Kirito was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt his back begin to burn. He turned around only to see the pillar being melted away by a red hot flame. "Even through the rock!?" He gasped, jumping away from the molten pillar. He was only barely able to move out of the way before Baran's head came through the molten rocks, ready to smash the black haired player into pieces.

He scoffed at himself. "Damn, I should have been focusing on my next move instead of wasting time thinking." He muttered, berating his own stupidity. He shook his head, a furious look forming on his face. "Oh I'm wide awake now." He exclaimed out loud. "Time to get your head in the game." Baran wasn't gonna get away with surprising him like that. He told himself earlier that he wouldn't fall for anymore tricks, yet here he was slipping up. He smirked, the adrenaline of battle appearing inside his veins. "You're gonna pay."

The taurus roared in response as if it heard him, preparing another blast of fire. _'The gem on it's head is orange now.'_ He noticed, taking note of it. _'If it's name is now flaming taurus, its probably safe to assume it won't be using ice attacks.'_ When putting it to thought, it was logical. The beast hadn't used any ice attacks yet and it's previous name could have only been set to freezing taurus to throw players off. His eyes narrowed. Of course, that too could be a trap. He would be expecting fire and ice attacks now. Hell, even lightning moves, if it even had any.

He wasn't going to get caught off guard again.

Another roar sounded off the walls as it's fire blast discharged from it's gem. Kirito easily sidestepped it, making sure it hit the wall behind him and not a pillar. He would have to use the pillars in the room wisely, as they were his only way to cover himself temporarily before they were melted. Glancing back at his health, he saw it was in the green, but still not full. _'Not taking a chance.'_ With that thought, he drunk the last potion he had on his belt. If he needed another one, he would have to hide and go into his menu to get it.

A second blast fired at him, which he also sidestepped. He looked at the boss, it's gem catching his eye. He noticed a darker coloration to it than it had previously. "It went dull." He spoke out before it was out of his vision, the beast raising it's head to roar at the sky again. _'So that's when it cools down.'_ The boss would shoot two blasts before cooling down. He remembered earlier how he hid behind a pillar for a short time after the beast hit him. He was able to sit there for a time before it attacked him again.

But it also tried crushing him with it's head after it melted the pillar. Then again, the boss also paused there before charging back up. _'So it can only fire two consecutive blasts, or a blast and a headbutt.'_ He put together, figuring out the taurus' attack patterns. He also noticed the boss still had two health bars left. _'That means a floor boss's moveset can change before their final bar of health.'_ He assessed, crushing his theory on their movesets changing at their last bar of health. This could also mean that their moves could be completely different from the very start. He would have to be cautious on any boss fight now. No, even normal monsters could have changed. ANY fight, he would have to go in expecting the worst.

The boss was still screaming as loud as it could, looking as intimidating as it could be, but Kirito could see past it's charade now. When it stops attacking and begins to scream, that would be his moment to strike. _'But first I have to find my sword.'_ It was blown away when he was struck, he just hoped it wasn't destroyed. "I leveled it up as much as I could, there's no way it could have broke so easily." He said, trying to reassure his doubt. He did defend against that fire attack with it. Although he was able to dodge half of the blow, his sword took it full on.

A heavy breath left his mouth. He looked around the room meticulously, but quickly, worry striking the back of his mind. If it was destroyed, he would have to run away, ashamed of himself for letting the boss get the better of him. A familiar bright light shined in the corner of his vision, making him turn to look at it. Baran's gem was shining like an early morning sun, preparing another blast of fire. "Damn it! Is it really gone!?" Kirito yelled. He looked everywhere he could in the time the boss was cooling down. The sword couldn't have traveled behind a pillar unless it bounced off a wall, but he was in the middle of the room when he was hit. Could the blast of been that strong?

He watched the light shine on Baran's head in anger. He didn't want to waste time grinding for another «Anneal Blade». He was extremely lucky the first time and players were still crowding the spot where they were located. It would be practically impossible to get another unless he was lucky enough to purchase it from a player who didn't want one, which was rare as the most commonly used weapon in the game was swords. A small flash bounced off the orange light at Kirito, making him cover his eyes. He uncovered them and squinted in the direction of the sharp light.

"There it is!" He announced, unceremonious joy leaking from his voice. The blade was stuck high up inside one of the pillars deeper in the room. No wonder he couldn't find it. He was looking at the ground and his sword was up above. _'It was only thanks to the boss's light that I was able to find it.'_ He thought, almost chuckling at the irony. _'Thanks for your help in finding the weapon that'll lead you to your demise.'_ He was able to take one step towards it before a wave of heat was upon him. "Shit!" He cursed, swiftly moving out of the way, his leg and coat being grazed by the flames. Before he could think, the beast's form cascaded his, ready to crush him between it's head and a wall. "Urk!" The boy grunted while rolling away. He was stretching his ability to it's absolute limits. The beast crashed into the pillar behind him, shaking the ground under it. Kirito toppled to the ground, more of his hp draining from the monster's onslaught.

Kirito groaned, watching his hp fall. 'Maybe _I shouldn't have been so cocky.'_ He pushed himself back to his feet, trying to keep his breath steady. His health was still in green. _'No need to worry yet.'_ Getting his sword back was the bigger problem. He heard the monstrous animal roar out it's anger behind him. He couldn't see if it's gem was dull or not, but he would have to assume it was on cool down. "Now or never!" He yelled, taking the chance.

The fourteen year old boy sprinted towards the pillar. If he was going to get his sword, he would have to run up even further up the wall than he did previously. He ran towards it with a confidant glare on his face. "HAH!" He yelled out, jumping higher than he ever had. He proceeded to run up the wall as quick as he could, positioning his feet in a way he could clear more distance. _'Keep going!'_ He thought, grunting as his legs were wearing out. Using the rest of his leg energy, he pushed himself into one final leap. It was small, but it was all he could do. It was enough, as he was able to clasp his right hand around the blade's hilt.

"Yes!" He smiled in relief, finally one with his sword again. Kirito continued to hang on his sword, his body gently swaying back and forth off the pillar. _'I didn't really think this through.'_ He gulped, looking down below. It was a long drop down, he would surely take damage from it. His sword was also stuck in the wall, over half of the blade being jammed into it. Kirito lifted his left hand to it and began to pull. The sword only barely skidded out of it's position. _'At this rate, the boss's cool down will finish before I can get it out!'_ He thought in a hurry. He pushed both of his feet into the pillar, using every limb he had into pulling the sword out of the stone.

His efforts proved fruitful, the blade making its way out slowly, but surely. He stopped to take a breath only to notice an orange light reflecting off the walls of the room. A quick glance behind him showed the bull firing up another beam, raising it's head to angle it directly at him in the air. He readjusted his hands fast and pulled hard. _'I have to fall! Its the only way I'll be able to dodge the blast!'_ He thought in a hurry. He knew he would take a lot of fall damage from the drop, just as long as he didn't die, it would be okay. The sword's tip was all that was left inside the pillar. One more pull and it would be free. _'Time it perfectly! Pull the sword out as soon as he shoots his flame!'_

The beast's screech pierced his ears, the gem on it's forehead shining at it's pinnacle before the strong blast rocketed towards the hanging boy. Just as it did, Kirito released his sword from the stony pillar, falling backwards to the ground. He watched as the fire above took out the area he was hanging from, creating a small avalanche of molten rocks. Kirito ignored the rocks and twisted himself in the air. "Land on your feet!" He commanded himself. His feet smacked the ground roughly, knees straining as the gravity pushed them down. "Grrk!" He grunted out, also using his hands to catch himself. He looked up to see another flame blast headed his way. He was able to push his body right, narrowly dodging the fire's heat.

He scrambled back onto his feet and rushed behind another pillar. He laid his back against it, sighing in exhaustion. He knew he couldn't attack the taurus as he was now. It was too risky. He would have to use this cool down phase to recuperate. He switched his hold on the blade from right hand to left, opening his menu and moving through it skillfully. Potions were on his belt in no time and he drunk one down to recover his hp, which had dropped to red from the fall.

He took out another potion and drunk from it, doubling up on safety. While he did, he thought about his fall. _'If this game were more realistic, I would've died ten times over by now.'_ He grimaced at the thought. Truthfully, it made him embarrassed of himself. _'I'm not as good as I thought.'_ It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was necessary. Being a champion in another game doesn't mean anything in a different one. His vast intelligence of the beta and knowledge that only he knew exclusively about the game made him overconfident. He remembered what he told Asuna. "Know your limits." Did he really know his?

After killing the first boss, he was ready to take on anything. He expected everything that it thrown at him. Throughout the entire fight, he didn't even need to drink a potion, yet here he was on the next boss already down four. He thought he could get through the game solely on predicting the system, but he'd just experienced that relying on that alone could be your downfall. The potion vial shattered in his hand after it's contents were emptied while the boy looked down to his sword. It was beat up. The first blast it took really did a good bit of damage to it's durability. Near the tip of the blade was the worst, probably due to the impact it had against the pillar it stuck into.

Strangely, his self-berating made him think of the time when he officially announced himself as a pro gamer back when he won the competition in RAIZE. What did it mean to be "pro?" _'That's easy.'_ He laughed. The #1 thing it took to become a pro was intelligence. Specifically, the ability to predict your opponent. If you could predict your opponents moves, then you've already won. _'That's what I initially thought, at least.'_ That was the key to his victory in the RAIZE tournament. He studied all the methods in the game, day in and day out. He watched countless hours online on the pro teams, their methods and the way each and every one of them played. He sunk many, many hours into research and it finally payed off when the solo tourney was announced. He used the knowledge he harnessed, and he became the winner.

 _'But this isn't a game where you can rely on that.'_ Predicting is important, but that was all he'd ever done up to this point. If he was going to become a true pro, he needed to focus not only on prediction, but on other aspects needed to become one. He had the skill and knowledge to play Sword Art Online, but he lacked the last key, a crucial part of becoming a pro gamer.

Instinct, other words known as reaction time.

He reacted quickly already, but he didn't have the instincts of a pro. He needed to adjust his mindset to fit the bill. If he went one on one with a pro gamer in RAIZE without the knowledge of the player, it was possible that he would be defeated. _'I can't have that.'_ He thought, now angered. Kirito didn't mind losing in real life, but losing on a video game he loved more than anything else? That enraged him. He had to be better than everyone in all aspects and wouldn't except anything less. Even if no one knew about it, as long as he knew he was the best, he would be content.

 _'I may be the best now, but soon..'_ No, he wasn't even gonna think about it. The thought of being under someone else in the game he absolutely cherished made him want to vomit. A fire way stronger than Baran's burned inside Kirito, showing inside his eyes. "I'M NOT GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN!" He yelled out at the monster, running away from his hiding place.

Kirito circled the boss, watching as it charged up it's attack. It fired it's first blast at him, which he dodged completely. The boss was slowly turning, trying to aim the fire at his moving body. The attack came up short and died down before it could get anywhere near the speeding boy. The virtual taurus now even more furious, fired a second blast, only for it to end the same way.

The diamond on Baran's head lost it's color, forcing the beast into cool down. Kirito turned roughly. Instead of circling the boss, he was sprinting straight at it. He gripped his «Anneal Blade +10» with both hands and with a loud battle cry, he activated a «Horizontal» which slammed into the boss's left leg. The sword slice straight through the joint, the leg giving out. The boss tipped over on it's front side, screaming from the wound it received. Kirito repeated his action, quickly snapping out of his own cool down and using «Slant» on the right leg. Baran's leg once again caved in, making the boss's front side fall over completely.

The enraged player kept at it. After his second sword skill's cool down, he rushed over to the monster's side, jumping up on it's back. He climbed over it onto the downed creature's neck fast before it could try to throw him off. He flipped his sword in his hands and held it over his head. _'THIS IS_ _PAYBACK!'_ Were his thoughts before he jerked his sword down, right into the taurus's eye.

It's scream was loud, echoing as far out into the hall outside of the boss room. It shook it's head back and forth, trying to get the player off, but Kirito held strong. He gripped his sword hard, keeping the blade inside it's eye. He became uncontrollable of his body as it swung along with the beast's head. His finger's were tempted to let go, but he wasn't having it. He knew the damage he'd done to the boss would stack up as long as his sword was inside of it. The shaking felt perpetual, but it finally gave as Baran's gem lit up again, the animal ready to blast the bug clinging onto it.

 _'That's it.'_ He told himself, kicking off the bull, releasing it from the torture it's eye had endured. The damage he'd done was only visible temporarily, showing a large red glittery spot where it's eye was, indicating it was damaged. Soon, the red light vanished, leaving no trace that he even hit it, the eye still functioning. He looked back up to it's health. _'Good, that took half of it's third bar down. If I can pull that off one mo-'_ He cut himself off. No, no, no. He wasn't going to start relying on predictions again. He took a deep breath in, releasing the stress the thought brought along. He steadied himself before running in a circle around the beast again. _'If the opportunity shows itself, then I will use it. If not, I'll just strike whatever I can.'_ He thought, adjusting his plans into ones more versatile.

He may have tripped up a few times before, but he refused to let himself mess up like that again.

Kirito dodged the next wave of fire using the same method he did before. This time, the boss decided to forgo it's fire for a head on attack. The running player skidded to a stop, standing and awaiting for the boss to strike. He held his sword so it's flat side was facing him horizontally, just in case he had to block an unforeseen attack. Outrunning the beast was out. He'd have no choice but to dodge at the last second. The bull leaped towards him, lowering it's head at it's tiny target. It aimed the horns on it's head to him, ready to puncture him through.

He jumped over it's head and out of the way. Baran, unable to stop it's dash, rammed into the wall on the eastern side of the room. Kirito held his sword to his side and ran at the entrapped monster. _'I can't hit it's face if it's buried in the wall.'_ He thought. Attacking the backside could be dangerous, as the boss likes to kick out it's legs when players are near. He made his decision, charging up a «Lunge» attack on the beast's right side.

His sword lit up a bright white before shooting into the boss's side. He heard it yell inside the wall, muffled by gravel spilling out around it. He was able to lash the boss with three more sword skills before it was able to free itself, it's third health bar depleted. He quickly scampered away behind a pillar in preparation for the taurus' final onslaught.

Angered that it was now on it's last bar of health, the boss flailed it's legs around itself in an attempt to crush anything and everything near it. It's wild hooves hit the wall it was stuck in several times, caving it in deeply. Kirito watched it storm around, kicking into pillars and knocking them down. He ran away before the boss could hit his pillar, running in front of the boss room doors. Baran gave one final kick to the last standing pillar, knocking it down into thousands of pieces.

The room was now bare. All that was left were rocks from the destroyed pillars and scorch marks from the fire's blasts. The boss npc's eyes scanned the room, locking sight on the player standing at the room's entrance. Kirito's body tensed up defensively. He spared one look at his sword and knew it's life was running to a close. If his sword was going to make it out of this fight, he would have to choose his next moves carefully.

Baran gave Kirito a glare before changing into it's final stage. The beast roared with it's head up, flames spilling out from it's blazing diamond. Fire covered Baran's entire head for a short moment before it slammed it's skull into the ground.

Kirito grunted as he jumped, avoiding a speedy fire that poured away from under the monster. His heart raced as he realized he'd reacted purely on instinct.

 _'Good, that's what I want.'_ He couldn't think anymore as he had to avoid more fire from the flaming taurus again. Baran repeated the attack once more. It was a repeated flame that formed a circle which would spread throughout the entire room. It's attack could be compared to it's earlier stomps that would stun lock a player, except this one would burn them alive.

Once it's attacks died down, the creature raised it's head from the floor, giving Kirito a good look at it. Baran's red eyes were now made of pure orange flames. The horns on it's head were also different. They were now a sizzling orange as fire danced across them as well. The taurus' whole entire body was steaming from all the fire the beast was producing and the hooves holding it up were now a glistening orange as well, the ground underneath the boss melting away. Kirito could feel the difference in the room, the atmosphere becoming very humid. His mouth became dry and his body felt drastically hot. Player's could not sweat in the game, but he was sure that from all the heat he was experiencing, his real body must be.

A small red looking status effect appeared under Kirito's hp bar. His eyes widened in realization of what it was. _'I'm taking burn damage!'_ He thought, watching his health drain much quicker than he expected from the burn's effects. The boy sneered as he watched the burn affliction overpower his «Battle Healing» skill. He still had two potions on his belt for quick access, but at this rate, he would need more than them. _'I have to finish this fast!'_ He told himself, flicking his sword out to his side and started up his sprint around the room again.

He had to keep an eye on the floor and the boss. There was several pieces of rubble on the ground which could easily trip him up, giving the boss the upper hand. The blackened ground was also beginning to smoke from the room's heat. "Damn coat." He swore under his heavy breath. Why did it have to be so warm in a time like this?

Kirito jumped over a pile of rocks, keeping Baran in his vision. The steam in the room was making it harder to see, but Baran was way too big to lose sight of. He'd just have to pay close attention for it's attacks. He watched as the beast lifted it's head and began cultivating a giant ball of fire inside of it's mouth. _'It can use fire attacks from other parts of it's body?'_ He questioned. Not even it's freezing form in the beta could do that. The heaving boy narrowed his eyes as he focused in on it. He saw the blast of fire building up, but something else caught his eye. The taurus's head was raised so it was hard to tell, but he could have swore he saw the gem on it's forehead glinting with light.

His body stiffened. _'Its a double attack!'_ He reacted quickly, sliding under the fireball shot towards him. He watched the beast lean forward, aiming the shining gem at him. The gem was smoldering, looking way more powerful than before, giving Kirito a bad feeling. Using quick wit and skill, he spread his feet apart while maintaining his slide across the ground before pushing his sword down under him. As a blast way faster than the others flew his way, Kirito used both of his feet and the sword under him as a springboard to propel himself further, much faster than he would have jumping. The fire easily missed him because of the tactic, blowing away the wall he was previously in front of.

He rolled up back onto his feet, catching a glimpse of what the blast did to the wall. Initially, it looked like it completely blew up the eastern wall as piles and piles of rocks fell, even going as far up to the ceiling. A closer look shown that although looking bare, a thin sheet of metal was still there, a purple box appearing in front of it. Kirito shielded his face to get a better look at it, reading it's text.

 _Immortal Object_

He raised an eyebrow. _'So the walls really are immortal.'_ The only other time he remembered seeing the immortal object box was in safe zones. They were obviously there so players wouldn't be able to ransack towns, as some of the more darker players probably would have done. Everything outside of those safe zones were completely destructible, including the ground they walked on. _'Well, I guess it makes since.'_ He shrugged. The boss was so strong that it's blast could easily destroy the room. Although rocks could crumble away, there had to be some form of protection to prevent the room from collapsing, as bosses cannot leave their own room. He turned his attention back to the boss which appeared to be in a stun-locked state.

It was growling in place, it's glowing horns and feet fading into a nasty brown and the diamond on it's head also lost it's color. The steam in the room let up and his status affliction went away. _'This is only temporary, it'll come back just as strong.'_ He ran at the boss and sliced into it many times, abstaining from sword skills in case he needed to run. He backed away as the monster tensed back up. The beast shook for a moment before a big sphere of fire surrounded it, enclosing in a diameter around it. Kirito shielding himself with his arm. He wasn't in the radius of the blast, but he could definitely feel the heat coming off it. Steam rolled off the beast, making the temperature in the room shoot back up. He saw the little red box return under his health, his status effect returning.

 _'Better drink a potion.'_ He thought as he ran, reaching down to his belt to grab one. His health was already under half from the heat alone. Under these circumstances, getting hit even once could be dangerous. He couldn't give it an opportunity to hit him. _'Stay on your toes. Keep moving no matter what.'_ He thought, his potion shattering into virtual glass. His health was near full now, but the rate it was falling was not a pleasant sight.

"How the heck were normal players suppose to fight this thing!?" He yelled out as if Kayaba could here him, watching Baran rotate towards him while charging up it's double attack. His levels were the best they could possibly be this far in the game and even he was struggling against the beast. Sure he was fighting it by himself, but this was nuts! Illfang wasn't anywhere near this strong, even when it's attack patterns changed.

That's when he realized.

The boy scoffed. "The bastard is intentionally trying to kill us." He said exasperated. Basically, Kayaba was attempting to put his death penalty to good use. If the game was too easy, then everyone would be fighting to get out. As scary as death sounds, it wouldn't matter as much if you never had to worry about dying. But in here, you were always worrying. Kayaba purposely cranked up the difficulty from easy mode to hard. _'He doesn't want players to run around carelessly. He really does want people to fight like their lives are on the line.'_ Kayaba wanted to make this world real. He wanted players to function as if this fantasy life they lived were their own. _'Then again, he could have made bosses nearly impossible to beat, which means...'_

They were actually suppose to beat the game. If they fought hard enough and played super carefully, they could truly get out.

 _'Either that or somewhere down the line the game becomes incompletable and we're just suppose to remain trapped here until our bodies die out in the real world.'_ But why play a pointless game? That outcome was unlikely, but still a possibility. Kirito chuckled. "Heh, whatever. I'll bite!" He yelled, jumping high on top of a grounded rock, dodging the ball of fire and the blast after it. He didn't care about the game's true objective, he just wanted to play. The player kept his pace up and ran towards the weakened taurus, the room temperature softening. Kirito ran directly at it's front side and lifted his sword over his head for a heavy strike. He jumped up and proceeded to cut into Baran's face repeatedly, the boss screeching with each slice.

It tried smacking him away with a jerk of it's head, but he moved back before it could reach. He jumped back more in preparation of the spherical fire that would appear once the boss regained it's barrings and heated up again, which it did with a mighty roar. The boss's health bar shown at a low yellow, the forth bar seeming to have more health than it's predecessors. Kirito drunk another potion as his health dipped into the yellow again. _'One more set of sword strikes and it should be down.'_ He thought as he healed.

Baran screeched once more, repeating it's same attacks at the running boy. Kirito was able to dodge them just as efficiently and the boss once again was forced into cool down, it's legs wobbling. The boy flicked his sword out to his right and with both hands, took out it's front left leg again. The monster collapsed to it's front, trying to force it's standing leg to remain standing, the health bar over the beasts head falling. Kirito ran to it's other side, preparing to take down it's right leg. Just as Baran's health bar touched red, it's fiery eyes glowed ominous, changing from a fierce orange into a deadly red. The boy was barely able to notice and put his sword in front of his body to shield himself from the monster's head slamming into him.

"Guh!" He yelled as his back slammed into the western wall behind him. The sword in his hands was only barely holding on, the durability falling to deadly limits. The beast pushed him farther back inside the wall, crumbling it's rocks. Kirito winced at the pressure. He quickly looked for a way out of the situation it trapped him in. He couldn't move under the boss's head and it's flaming horns were blocking both his left and right sides. He couldn't duck under them or he would be crushed and he couldn't jump up because of the weight of the monster. He couldn't attack because his sword was stuck between the monster and his body. _'I can't hold out!'_ He grunted under the weight on top of him. Anymore and his sword would break! Even worse, he was losing hp quickly, his health under half.

He looked above and saw the boss's low health. Only a sliver of it remained. "Just one more strike!" He grunted again, trying to push the beast away. Baran wasn't letting him, using all it's strength to keep the boy trapped. Kirito's eyes widened. "HRRRAAAGH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, his left hand glowing red. He punched the beast right in it's nostrils, a loud crack bouncing off the room.

All of the sudden, everything stopped. The heat in the room vanished, the weight of the boss he was trapped under let up, and Baran's bright orange fire lighting up the room died out completely. The boss raised it's head in one final roar, crying out as it's body began glowing a translucent blue. The light shined more before the beast broke into pieces, the sound of glass shattering filling the room.

 **Congratulations!**

Kirito panted as he looked at the message displayed in the room. He slid down towards the ground, letting his sword fall to his side with a clank. "I did it." He sighed out, his breath refusing to slow. _'Huh?'_ His eyes slowly widening. _'I'm smiling?'_ He thought in surprise. Soon, he began to laugh. "That was awesome!" His laughing increased, ignoring his menu popping up in front of him as he held his stomach in an attempt to settle himself. "The adrenaline is back!" He said between laughs. He couldn't stop. It was so much fun! He'd never had to try as hard as he could in this game until now! That fight was so thrilling! "This really is the best game ever!" He held his mouth trying to stifle himself, but his laughter still slipped through.

He just couldn't stop laughing!

 **Attention. The second floor has now been cleared. The third floor has now been opened.**

He stopped laughing.

"Oh shit." Escaped his lips, unable to contain the words. That was the system announcement broadcast. No matter where you were, you could hear it. Now everyone would know that the third floor was opened. "Guess I'll have to check my items later!" He yelled, closing his menu and running to the next floor door.

* * *

 _'RUN! RUN! RUN!'_ Were his thoughts as he booked away from floor three's warp gate. He could still feel the adrenaline of the fight rushing through his veins. The smile he had when he beat the first boss had reappeared as he ran to the next main town on the floor. He just couldn't get his mind off it. He really thought he finished the fight in the best way possible, using «Hammer Fist» from «Martial Arts» to kill the beast.

His energy felt restored, all his earlier lethargy was replaced with newfound vigor. He was ready to take on the world!

"I have to hurry before anyone else heads there!" He told himself, speeding up his sprint. His next destination was «Zumfut», which if everything on the floor was the same layout in the beta, should be on the north-east side of the floor, quite a bit away from the warp gate. Although it was far away, Kirito knew players, or at the very least beta testers, would be headed towards as fast as they possibly could and for the exact same reason he was.

They wanted to get one of the two knightswords from the quest «A Royal Escort». The player would get either the «King's Knightsword» or the «Queen's Knightsword». Sadly, the swords could only be claimed on the 9th floor where the king and queen's castle is, and you had to wait until the floor was unlocked. Kirito was able to get his hands on the «Queen's Knightsword» in the beta a day before it ended. The sword was the most powerful he had seen in game, the only other blade rivaling it being it's counterpart.

Even though he only had the sword for a short while, he fell in love with it. Instead of his «Anneal Blade» only being able to upgrade to +10, the swords could be upgraded to +20. They were also heavier and had better stats. They each also had a special quirk. The «King's Knightsword» had the ability to temporarily blind an opponent, while the «Queen's Knightsword» did massive damage to weapon durability, making it easier to break an opponents weapon. Kirito personally liked the queen version better. While blinding an opponent was cool, it was much more fun to break someone's weapon. A sword like those so early in the game would be desired by everyone. Any player that owned it would be able to fend off monsters with ease.

The reason why everyone had to rush towards them was because there were only two. The swords had no duplicates; meaning there were only one of each. Only two people in the entire game would get their hands on the swords, making them very, very rare. No player could have both, as you can only choose one or the other upon completing the quest. A player could not repeat the quest either. _'Well, I guess you could get both if the other player decided to sell it.'_ Kirito thought, doubting that logic. When he got his, and oh would he get his, he would never sell it, even if he didn't need it anymore. He doubt the other player who got their hands on the «King's Knightsword» would sell theirs as well.

He passed another tree inside the forest he was in. Floor three was absolutely filled with trees. It was practically the entire floor. Just trees, trees, and more trees. Even «Zumfut» had trees in it, three giant ones to be precise. The town was also surrounded with water, making the town island-like. The trees were separated in the shape of a triangle with a pond being in the center of them. The trees weren't just for show. The town itself was actually located inside them. Npc's, shops, inns, and more, all inside those three trees. It was a strange sight to look at, but you get used to strange in a world like this.

 _'I just have to keep going!'_ He thought, counting the time it was taking him to get there. "Whoops." He said, jumping over a «Forest Snake» that appeared under the ground. "Can't get careless here." He almost forgotten that mobs spawned in these forests. Although he was strong, he should still be on the lookout. "Oh yeah that's right, my items and xp!" Looks like he'd forgotten about those too. "The adrenaline must be getting to me." He chuckled out. Thinking back on the fight was still entertaining, but now wasn't the time for that. He spared a glance at his health bar which was now full. _'Must've leveled up.'_ He thought. When a player leveled up, their health would regenerate to it's max. Since he didn't use a potion, he must have leveled. He looked at the numbers under his hp.

"I'm level 24!?" He said unable to contain himself. The first boss leveled him up a few times, but he didn't expect the second to do the same. He grimaced after a thought. "Its gonna be much harder to level up now." He sighed. It was hard enough as it was before while being level 22, but now it would be even harder. "I guess I'm doing pretty good since I ended the beta at level 25." He said to lighten himself back up. When you no longer have to take care of yourself in the real world or go to school, it becomes much more easier to level up. Especially now that he was stuck inside the game 24/7.

He was proud of himself. It took him two months to reach that level. Now its barely been over a month and he'd only just beaten floor two. The gaps between floors two and nine were huge and yet he was already near his peak level inside the beta. He knew already that it was going to get much more harder to level up, but that was okay. Being stronger than the rest was a price well worth it. Besides, it would still be hard for other players to level once they reached his. "Actually, it'll be easier for them considering we should be on future floors and there would be stronger monsters to grind on."

...

"Oh well." He smirked. He didn't mind grinding anyways.

Next, he opened up his menu. He couldn't waste time stopping to check, so he would have to check while moving. _'Lets see what I got.'_ He scrolled through his list into his «Items» tab. He looked at the bottom of the menu and counted his col. Subtracting what he had before, he came up with an extra 50,000 he received from the boss. He got plenty of item drops too, which he would be keeping some as boss drops were typically better than your average mob drops. _'I can use these for future upgrades on equipment.'_ He scrolled through to look at what he wanted to see the most.

The last attack bonus.

"Baran's Amber?" He said, pressing down the item button and summoning it. It was an orange diamond-like gem that felt warm in his hands. "Wait, this thing was on it's head!" He said in surprise. He didn't remember a drop like this in the beta. If he recalled, he believed the boss drop was a shield. "What does it do?" He asked aloud while pressing the item's description box. It wasn't like he could put it on his head for fire moves, so what was it used for?

 _Baran's Amber: This expensive jewel can be used on a bladed weapon for a unique bonus. The gem has fire inside of it, giving off a warm feeling to it's surface. This item can only be used once._

Kirito hummed to himself. _'_ _That was sort of vague_. _'_ It wasn't like some piece of equipment he could put on. It said that it can be used on bladed weapons. _'So, a weapon attachment?'_ If that was the case, he was lucky. If he used a club or a mace then this item would be useless to him, as those were blunt weapons, but he used a sword. _'If it's an attachment, should I use it on my «Anneal Blade +10»?'_ He wasn't sure if he should. He liked his sword, but this was the first item he had ever seen like this, most likely the first of it's kind. Plus, the item could only be used once. _'Well, telling the player it can only be used once is sort of like a warning. Is it telling me to choose wisely?'_

"I guess I'll wait." Although he didn't know how good it was, there was still a chance that he would never get another item like it again. It would be better to wait it out since he was going for the «Queen's Knightsword» that he would eventually get on floor nine. The sword was powerful, and since he never went past floor nine in the beta, he had no idea how long it would take to get a better one than that. It was safer to use an item like this on that sword. Instead of only having the bonus through floors 3-9, he would have it through 9-?. It was a gamble, but it could potentially pay off. "I mean, any kind of bonus is good, right?" The description said it was unique, so he doubted it was useless. Could it be something to do with fire?

Kirito shook his head. "I shouldn't think about that right now. I have to focus on getting to «Zumfut»!" He placed the item back in his storage and proceeded to head towards the town.

* * *

 _'Twenty minutes.'_ Kirito thought as he approached «Zumfut». That was the amount of time it took him to reach the town. "Good thing it's location didn't change." He would have been angry at the time wasted from that. "Can't accept the quest just yet, though." He said, not feeling the least bit weary. His equipment needed repaired, especially his sword. He also had to buy more potions and sell some drops. He headed towards the south-western tree. It was the tree where all the shops in town were.

He had to avoid all the monsters that spawned on the way into town. He was about to withdraw his sword and kill one when he remembered how badly damaged it was. Even one hit with the sword could possibly break it. He didn't want to take that chance. Kirito first approached the blacksmith shop, double checking that his «Ring of Charos» was equipped on his finger.

"Hello there." He spoke, activating one of the npc's responses, making her turn to him. "Would you please repair my equipment?" He asked her, the ring on his finger softly glowing with a maroon light.

The npc almost unnoticeably stiffened, the ring working it's magic. "Of course!" She responded in joy, unaware of the hypnosis the ring put her under. Kirito took off his sword and armor, leaving the boy in the clothes he started out with. "I'll fix these right up for you!" She said. "And because I'm feeling special today, I'll fix them for only half the price!" She told him, walking back to her workplace, leaving Kirito alone.

 _'This ring is seriously useful.'_ He thought once again, taking a seat on a bench just outside of the shop. It wouldn't be too long of a wait and even though he still felt excited, he wanted to sit down for a minute. He didn't notice it at first, but after using his ring in combat, he learned that it was unbreakable. It was the first equippable item he'd seen with infinite durability, the other exception being the clothes that were worn under armor, but those didn't give any bonuses, unlike his ring. _'Well, if I had to take the ring off to repair it, the ring's abilities would nullify, making it useless.'_ He thought. Kayaba probably realized that and just gave the ring infinite durability.

"Oh well. Just another bonus for me." He said, walking back and grabbing his equipment, paying the npc only half the original payment needed. He felt it safe to wear his armor in town because there wasn't anyone nearby. _'It should take awhile for players to make their way here. Even for betas.'_ He walked up a floor inside the tree and sold his unneeded items, as well as purchase some more potions.

 _'These potions just aren't cutting it anymore.'_ He thought, looking at one of the vials. The only potion that was currently purchasable was the starting one. It healed fine for beginners, but he was past the beginner stages. This showed when he had to double up on potions when he was fighting the second boss. He looked at the price under one of the vials. "They're surprising expensive, huh?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. Although the «Ring of Charos» made things less expensive for him, it didn't mean it would for other players. Kirito hummed in thought. _'There's a skill about making potions, right? I think it's called «Brewing».'_ He rubbed his chin. "Perhaps I'll invest a skill point into it." He said, debating the thought. Making potions didn't seem like a bad idea for the future. After he got all the skills he wanted, if he had any skill points left, he wouldn't be opposed choosing it.

Kirito paid for his potions, restocking his inventory and belt, leaving the south-western tree over to the south-eastern one. The quest «A Royal Escort» was located just inside the tree. The boy walked in and approached the four elven guards at the left side of the entrance room. They were stationed around a small circular table conversing with one another. There were two well dressed elves behind them who were also talking, one male and one female. They each had a yellow question mark above their heads, meaning they had a quest. Both of them were the «Elven King» and «Elven Queen» respectively.

The quest, as the name states, was an escort quest. The «Elven King» and «Elven Queen» were stuck here inside «Zumfut». After restocking their supplies in their horse carriages, they were trying to get back home over to their kingdom, but there were too many monsters blocking their path. They could navigate through the forest easily, as they are forest people, but they couldn't defend themselves against the forest's brutality. They had already attempted to leave once and they were outnumbered, many of their warriors being slain. Now left with little protection, they needed help, an escort. That's where the player comes in and helps them go through the forest. Since their kingdom is on floor nine, the player can't actually guide them all the way back home. All you had to do was safely get them and their supplies out of the forest and then they tell you that they can take it from there.

The reason why there were two question marks above the king and queen's head was because there was actually two different quests. Because they had so much supplies, they couldn't take it all back at once without the proper protection. One player wouldn't be enough to protect it all, so you could only escort one of them. The first player who came would escort either the king and two guards out with half of their supply carriages, or the queen with the other two guards and half of the supplies. The next player who played the quest would escort the ones that remained behind.

"Are you in need of assistance?" The black haired player asked, making himself known to the npc's, triggering their quest. All of the elvish npc's look at him, surprise on their faces. The guards quickly stood up, in case they had to defend their leaders.

"Who goes there!" One of them yelled at him, raising his lance at the boy.

Kirito raised both his hands, gesturing for peace. "I mean you no harm. I overheard your conversation and would like to help you." He said, trying to ease them. The guards were hesitant, but both the king and queen stepped in front of them.

"Really?" The queen stated, looking happy at his request. "That would be marvelous!"

"Indeed." The king replied, his posture appearing as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. "Very well young lad. If you can help us, then by all means we will accept." He stated.

One of the guards looked surprised, turning back towards the king. "But sir! Can we really trust this outsider?" He asked his leader, not quite trusting the player in front of him.

Another guard leaned in towards him. "We're desperate enough as it is. We need the help of a strong adventurer." He whispered to his peer, a relieved look also appearing on his face. All four elven guards began conversing with each other, before they all silenced themselves as the king raised his hand.

"We would like you to guide us out of the forest." He said to Kirito. "The forest has been ridden with more monsters than ever before. We have already tried to travel back home, but they were just too strong for us. Are you sure you can help us in this task, adventurer?" The king questioned him.

A quest box appeared in front of Kirito, asking him if he would accept the quest or not. He pressed the blue circle icon, accepting the quest. "Very well young warrior." The king said. "Sadly, myself and my queen can travel one at a time. I am afraid that we have too much luggage and five people alone cannot protect it all." He said, gesturing to both Kirito and his four guards. "It would be much easier for two of our guards to go with you, along with half of our supplies and either the queen or myself." The king raised a hand towards his wife beside him. "Which one of us would you like to travel with?"

The doors at the entrance of the tree slammed open, making Kirito stiffen. There was a short pause before the person that entered spoke. "I would like to join you in your quest." A feminine voice resounded behind Kirito, catching the elves attention.

"Oh my!" The king chuckled in surprise, looking strangely pleased. "Another adventurer wishes to partake in our expedition?" He asked, feeling rather blessed at the fortune his people had received. Kirito was as stiff as a board, not moving a single muscle. He recognized the line the king spoke. The same exact thing happened to him in the beta test.

It meant another player was joining the quest.

 _'No! This can't be happening!'_ He thought in absolute horror. Inside the beta, Kirito had no choice but to do quests with other people because they simply would not leave him alone. But ever since the death game began, he was able to do everything by himself. _'Why now!? Out of all the quests, why this one!?'_ He asked himself in a panic, keeping his body completely still.

Unlike most quests, «A Royal Escort» had an exception. Although the quest had to be done by two different people, those two players could do the quest together, meaning the quest would become co-op. Instead of splitting in two groups, the king and queen would go together with all of their supplies and the players would protect them together. This wouldn't be a big problem for most people, but it effected Kirito specifically because...

The players had to join a party together.

If it was Asuna, than it would be fine as he was already friends with her. _'But that voice wasn't Asuna's.'_ He thought, his stomach dropping as he heard footsteps approaching them.

The voice spoke again. "Yes, I would like to help escort you out of the forest." They replied to the king, walking up to them, right next to Kirito. The boy could barely see the figure in the corner of his vision, but he wouldn't dare turn. He didn't move a single inch and stared straight at the elven npcs.

The queen laughed beautifully, overjoyed from the player's response. "Well of course! We could very much use the help of another adventurer!" She stated with glee. The queen turned towards her spouse. "Honey, does this mean we can go together now?" She asked, blinking sweetly at him.

The king shrugged at his wife's demand. "Of course." He said before turning towards Kirito. "But only if it's okay with you?" He asked. All eyes were on him now, awaiting his answer.

...

...

...

The player stepped closer to him. "Well? Aren't you gonna accept?" She asked, annoyance emerging in her tone. Kirito didn't answer her question, opting to remain silent. Like a statue, he continued to stare directly ahead, the npc's in front of him not acknowledging his silence.

"Hey!" She raised her voice, walking in front of him in an attempt to meet his gaze. "Answer me!" Kirito lowered his head towards the floorboards before she could look in his eyes, staring at the ground.

 _'Why is this happening!'_ He thought, still freaking out at the situation he was suddenly thrown in. He didn't activate the warp gate so players couldn't teleport up to floor three. How in the world did this girl catch up to him? He ran for a whole twenty minutes to get here and the only stop he made was to repair his equipm-

 _'Oh no.'_ He thought, his stomach turning even more. _'How long was I there resupplying myself?'_ Did his adrenaline get the best of him and make him lose track of time? He could have swore he was there at the very most five minutes. There was absolutely no way five minutes was all it took for someone to catch up to him, right? So how? _'Maybe if_ _I don't respond, she'll go away.'_ He thought in desperation, hoping she would leave him alone.

The girl growled at him. "Alright! That's it!" She yelled, finally losing her patience. The infuriated woman stomped up and grabbed him by the collar of his coat. She pulled it up roughly, forcing him to look at her. "You're gonna talk whether you like it or not!"

Kirito looked at her in shock for a moment before his face turned into a scowl. "No." He said simply, speaking for the first time, aggressiveness lacing his tone. He pushed her hands away from his coat and turned around, walking away from her towards the exit.

She looked surprised at his reaction, before her scowl also returned. "Come back here!" She yelled. When he didn't turn around, she became even more furious. She was about to call out again, but she noticed that he was near the doorway. Her eyes widened. "Stop!" The girl quickly ran in front of the doors, blocking his exit.

He tried to go around her, but the girl spread her arms out so he couldn't pass. His eyes met hers. "Let me leave." He stated, annoyance pouring off of him. He knew why she was blocking him. If he left the tree before joining the party of the other player, the quest would start only for one player, meaning the second player had to do the quest by themselves. Truth was, it was actually a lot easier to do the quest together. Not only was it faster for the elves, but for the players too, as the elves take a much shorter path out of the forest.

But he didn't care about that. He would rather spend more time doing the quest alone than do it with someone else and give away his identity. She glared at him, gritting her teeth. "No!" She shouted. "There's no reason for us not to do this quest together! Since you're already here, you have to be a beta tester!" She wisely deduced. "So you already know that if we do the quest together, it will be much faster!"

Kirito looked back down to feet. What in the world was he supposed to do? As much as he wanted to simply push her and be on his way, he knew he wouldn't. He wasn't about to put his hands on a woman, even if she was angering him. She didn't look like she was about to move anytime soon and there weren't any other exits in the tree. _'Damn it!'_ The words resounded throughout his mind. Why did this have to happen!

"Listen here, buster!" She said, making him raise his head back to her. "I don't want to spend my whole day escorting these npc's out of the forest!" She said, her voice lowering down to a more quieter tone, albeit still irritated. "Just accept my party invite so we can take the easy route!" She pleaded. "I'll do the work, just accept it!" The girl said, giving him an incentive.

They sat in silence, the boy thinking about his options. Well, he didn't really have any, but he was still thinking about her words. He looked behind them at the npc's that were further back inside the room. They all sat in silence with smiles on their faces, completely unaware of their confrontation. He turned back at the girl, taking in her appearance.

She had the same black hair and eyes he did. Her hair was short for a girl, ending just under her neck with her bangs tied with white ribbons that framed the sides of her face. She had white skin, a little lighter than his. Her gloves, boots, pants, and armor plating were all a light brown. The only piece of equipment that wasn't brown was her undershirt, which was black, just like his. If his memory served correctly, he believed that her equipment was the best you could get on the current floors; with the exception of his. They were all monster drops, which was far better than any store bought gear you could buy. The girl also had a spear on her back. He didn't recognize the spear, but at the game's current stage, it looked top-tier.

As he was looking over her equipment, she was doing the same to his. _'What kind of armor is that?'_ She thought, surprised at how expensive it looked. _'He's really decked out. He must be pretty strong.'_ She wouldn't admit it, but she was impressed by his gear. _'How in the world did he get his hands on something like that?'_

The boy across from her sighed, knocking her out of her thoughts. "Does it really matter?" He spoke back to her. "So what if it takes you all day. As far as you know, we could be trapped in here forever. You have all the time in the world." His words were bold and cheeky, pissing her off even more.

She growled back at him. "Oh you smart ass!" She replied, her voice becoming louder. "You know what I meant!" This boy was so infuriating! The girl placed her hands on her hips, taking a step towards him. "Just why are you so against questing together!?" Something fierce swirled in her eyes. "Is it because I'm a girl!?"

The enraged female began taking more steps towards him, making him take steps back. "Woah, woah, woah!" He put his hands up in defense. Where'd the hell that come from? "I never said anything like that!" He quickly responded, the girl's accusations making him nervous.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you want to quest with me!?" She asked. A small look of realization crossed her face. "Wait a second.." She began. "You're one of the players who cleared the second floor boss!" She exclaimed. Why didn't she notice that sooner? Of course he was one of the players that cleared it.

About a half hour ago, she was inside the floor dungeon grinding, looking for the door to the second boss. She didn't have a party to fight the boss with, but she knew she could sell the information to someone like Argo for a pretty penny. She spent the whole night looking for it and when she finally found it, the boss was already beaten. The doors were wide open and the room inside looked destroyed, as if there was a huge scrap that took place. She stepped inside the room, awestruck. She couldn't believe it happened again, that a group of players beat a floor boss unbeknownst to all the other trapped players.

She decided to forget about it, choosing to head straight to floor three. She completely forgone opening the warp gate, as she knew she had to hurry if she was going to be one of the two players to get a knightsword. The worry she had and the long run to «Zumfut» must've made her forget about the players who beat the boss, who should now be on the floor.

The boy jumped at her words and she smirked, knowing she had cornered him. "Where's your little buddies, huh?" She questioned, her mischievous smile growing. Kirito's stomach began twisting again. He never expected an outcome like this. "Oh let me guess, they all went to grab the other good quests on the floor and I just so happened to run into you trying to take one of the knightswords." She drug out the word, knowing she was correct.

Her facts were jumbled up, but she was right. The warp gate wasn't opened, so the only way players could make it to the third floor was if they ran through the boss room. Since he was here, she was able to deduce that he had to be one of the people to clear the boss. She assumed that he did it in a group because beating a boss by yourself was unheard of, but still. _'Damn it!'_ He swore. If he had just played it off earlier and said he had just gotten here a moment before she did in search of the players who had beaten the boss, then she may have believed him, but he tried escaping which meant he had something to hide. Still, it was possibly that he may have been able to get himself out of the situation then, but his facial expression and body posture gave him away entirely. She wouldn't believe any excuse now.

His mouth felt dry. He tried to say something, anything, but all he could do was choke on his words. "Looks like I was right." She said smoothly. She stood proud, knowing she had figured him out. Kirito began to glare at her. All of a sudden, she became much more smackable now.

He ended up sighing. _'There's nothing I can do.'_ She completely got him. If he was just a little faster, or if he didn't think about buying that extra potion, maybe he could of gotten away with it. The girl was waiting for his response, her hands still firmly on her hips, the smirk on her face looked like it would split her in two. "Okay, you win." He surrendered, putting his hands up. "You got me." The words ached as they left his mouth.

"I knew it!" She shouted in victory. She already knew, but it felt so good to here him say it! "Go ahead, tell me all that there is to know." She pushed on, wanting to know every bit of the details.

"I really don't want to." He said almost pleadingly.

The girl shrugged. "Well, I guess you don't have to." She trailed off, suddenly turning around and walking away. For a moment, Kirito thought it was over, relief escaping him as his stiff shoulders loosened before she turned her head back to him "I'll just have to expose you to the public."

Kirito gasped. "No! Wait!" It was his turn to run in front of her. "You can't do that!"

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because!" Is this bitch crazy!? What the hell's her problem!?

The girl laughed at him, making him blush in anger. "Okay, okay, I won't." The anxious boy sighed again, holding his racing heart. That was almost too scary. "But..." She trailed once again, making him jerk back. "You have to let me in on your secrets, and you have to do the quest with me." She said slyly, her eyes narrowing in interest.

Her words hit him like a roundhouse to the face. He had to tell her everything? "Are you serious!?" He yelled back at her in disbelief. One look from her told him everything he needed to know. She was going to expose him to everyone.

He gulped, his voice suddenly vanishing from his throat. _'Shit!'_ Was all he could think. He couldn't even run away anymore because now she knew he was one of the players who beat the boss, or at least took part in it. Damn, this girl was even worse than Argo!

There wasn't anything he could do to change her mind. There was no way around it, he had to tell her. His lost strength returned in a flash. He wasn't going to take this lying down. "Okay, I'll tell you." He said each word slowly, making sure she understood. "But in return, you are going to tell me who you are."

She thought about it for a second before shrugging. "Okay, I guess that's fair."

"No." He cut her off. "You tell me first."

The girl scowled. "Hey! That's not-" Her words instantly died in her throat. The look in his eyes was way different from before. The girl suddenly felt small compared to him, as if he could strike her down at a moments notice. A sharp chill went through her spine, like a lightning strike. The girl, now afraid, unconsciously began to take steps back from him. She had never felt a pressure like this before.

As quick as it came, it left and her breath returned to her with a sharp intake. "I'm sorry." He apologized, realizing what he was doing to her and stopping. The coated boy felt a tinge of guilt. His rage got the better of him again and he forced it on her. _'I did the same thing to Asuna, didn't I?'_ To be honest, he hated doing it. Even if she was pushing him, he shouldn't have scared her like that. "Tell me first, and I will tell you everything." He repeated, making sure she understood.

The girl regained her breath, now weary of the boy in front of her. _'Just who is he.'_ She thought. Was that pressure some kind of skill? Or was it something else? She cleared her throat before speaking. "Alright, I'll tell you." She started. "What do you want to know?"

"Just tell me your name and how you got here so quickly."

She nodded back at him, taking one last breath before beginning. "My in game name is Sinon. I came to «Zumfut» by foot, running as fast as I could from the boss room here in an attempt to do «A Royal Escort» before any other player could." She paused. "Oh and I didn't open the warp gate, if that's what your wondering." She added in, folded her arms. The look of irritation was once again on her face. "Now, do you wanna tell me who you are?" She emphasized, clearly wanting to know.

"You ran here?" He questioned, mildly surprised. "How long did that take you?" She'd have had to run really fast if she caught up with him. Or he didn't realize how long he took inside the shopping tree.

The girl now known as Sinon sighed. "You tell me genius. It didn't take you that long to get here either." Her response irked him, but he doubted he was going to get anymore out of her.

 _'She probably doesn't know herself.'_ He guessed. She was probably just as focused as he was to get to the quest before anyone else could. "And I assume you're a beta tester?" She nodded. He already assumed she was, but there was a small possibility that she wasn't and she just paid a beta tester for the information on the quest. "And you're alone?" Another nod. He sighed. _'Well, there's no point in lying to her and say that I'm in a group.'_ He thought. It wouldn't do anyone any good lying about something like that. He didn't really need to know anything else about her either, except...

"Why do you want to do this quest so badly?" He asked suspiciously. "You have a spear on your back, meaning you used a skill point in «Polearms». Your a beta tester, so you know that training two different fighting skills at once is a bad idea." He told her, a hand gesturing to her weapon. "Why try so hard for a quest that rewards you with a sword?"

The black haired girl looked surprised at his question, then her face quickly returned to it's neutral angered expression. Her head turned away from him, biting the inside of her cheek. "I was going to sell it." She said, folding her arms tighter.

 _'Sell it?'_ He thought. All that work just to make a profit? "You're a money grubber?" He questioned.

The girl swiftly turned back, a small dust of red on her face. "I am not!" She shouted back at him, her arms dropping to her sides. "I'm just trying to play smart!" She tried to explain. "You know just as well as I do that those swords go for a hefty price on the market! If I get my hands on one, I'll be able to sell it and I won't have to worry about my col running low!" Sinon scoffed away again, folding her arms back.

His mouth fell open for a second before closing. _'Actually, that's not a bad plan.'_ She really was playing smart. Those two swords could very well be the strongest for several more floors after floor nine. She could easily sell it for over one hundred thousand col. Hell, even more than that. _'And here I thought no one would be selling it.'_ He almost laughed, remembering what he thought earlier. He watched her pout, any minute now it looked like she would start throwing a tantrum and stomp her feet on the ground. _'She's actually kind of cute.'_ He sighed, also folding his arms.

Enough stalling. It was time to tell her.

"Okay then, Sinon." He said, testing her name. She turned back to look at him with a grumpy look on her face. She didn't like the tone he used her name in, but opted to stay silent. "There's just one more thing I need you to do." He once again slowed his words, making sure she was paying absolute attention to them.

"Of course there is!" She was getting ready to blow a fuse from all this waiting.

He held his hand out, stopping her from saying any more. He looked at her more seriously than before. "I need you to promise me that you won't tell a single soul of what you're about to hear." Sinon was ready to object again, but one look at his eyes told her not to. He was dead serious about this.

"Okay." She spoke out. "I promise."

The boy prepared himself for her questions, cooling his nerves as much as he could "Alright then." He said back. "What do you want to know?" He spoke out, asking the same question she asked him.

The girl looked less irritated now that it was her turn. She let her arms fall to her sides, one remaining on her hip. "Alright tough guy." She called him out. "What's your name?"

The male player took a heavy breath in, slowing breathing it out. No turning back now. This was it.

He steeled himself. "My name is Kirito."

* * *

 **Sinon has finally been introduced this chapter. Sorry it took me six chapters to get her in the story, but I was eventually able to squeeze her in. What did you think of her and Kirito's first encounter? Did I characterize her correctly? Remember that Kirito is suppose to be a little different from Canon, it is fanfiction after all.**

 **The first actual fight scene was also in this chapter. Was it okay? I didn't want to drag it out too long, but if I shortened it anymore, it would have dropped in quality. I also didn't want to make it cheesy, so I did the best that I could. It was my first time writing one of them, so please tell me what you think of it. I will probably do more of them, but they won't be every chapter. I dislike stories that throw fight after fight at you, even if the plot is about fighting. I am trying to pace the story out properly and develop the characters correctly.**

 **I believe I said it before, but I'll mention it again. To any light novel readers, or any SAO experts, I have changed some of the story's original plot points to my liking. I also added Sinon in because I thought she would be an interesting twist to the story. I hope this doesn't bother you and that you can still enjoy the story.**

 **By the way, since it is currently summer time, I should be able to update a couple chapters faster than I have. Other than that, thank you and have a good day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know it has been a year. I cannot apologize enough to all of you who have waited this long. There is no excuse, just plain laziness for not writing it. This is not acceptable and I will try to do better from now on. Please forgive me for this, I truly do feel bad for all of you.**

 **To those who are newer and have not waited a year, welcome. I hope you do not have to suffer as much as my other followers and that I will update the story more frequently. Truth is, I've had about 75% of the chapter written about a month after my latest post, I just never felt like finishing it. Nevertheless, it is here and I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Thank you all for your responses on the last chapter. It appears that most of you liked the fight scene and believed that I wrote Sinon accurately. For those who didn't care for the fight, I will try to improve.**

 **Someone reviewed about how the food system operates in the game and why it doesn't make since. He said that food doesn't give buffs and offers no nutrition, as they are in a video game and don't need it. Firstly, I've taken this concept from the anime, as players eat inside of the game without any benefits. I just stick to the original source material. I also have to disagree with you. Its true that you don't "need" the food in the game to survive, but could you really go without food for so long considering you have ate food your entire life? To suddenly stop eating for two entire years in a game, would you be able to handle it? Looking at it like that, I believe food is just as necessary as sleep is inside the game.**

 **As for the plot holes in the anime, I will do my best to avoid them here. The reason I am writing this fanfiction is that I do not believe the Sword Art Online canon lived up to all it could. As much as I love the show, I acknowledge all of it's flaws and I will fix as many as I can. Hopefully, I can adjust everything to your liking and still have a great story.**

 **By the way, as of June 2018, I have revised both the first and second chapters of the story to make them much better. I suggest rereading to refresh yourself with them, as they are a little different from how they were before. I may revise the other chapters to make them sound better too, or simply clear any continuity errors that may have appeared between them.**

 **Remember, if you have any questions about the story and where it is going, just message me. I will answer all your questions as long as they don't spoil the main plot line.**

* * *

"My name is Kirito."

His clenched fingers dug into his gloves as he said those words. The feeling of dread once again struck him, the same feeling he had when he gave his name out to Asuna. But unlike with Asuna, there was a major difference in giving his name to Sinon.

 _'There's no way this girl doesn't know who I am.'_ Virtual sweat poured down the player's face. Every second that passed felt like a century. Her stare bore through him, tearing all of his confidence into pieces. His legs felt like jelly and seemed like they would collapse under him at any moment.

The girl turned away and scoffed. "Yeah right."

Kirito blinked. "Huh?" Her fist were balled up and she looked just about ready to swing on him.

Anger made its way to her face. "You heard me jackass!" Sinon yelled as her anger rose to new heights. "What!? Do you think this is a joke!?" The girl began stomping towards him, once again making Kirito backpedal away with his hands up in defense. "You must think you're a funny guy for saying **that** player's name, don't you?" She shoved the boy hard, his back hitting the wall of the tree. "Well the only one whose laughing is you!"

The black haired boy just stared back at her in surprise. "Why are you so angry at me?" He asked, completely perplexed. He was nervous because he thought she would flip out after she learned he was Kirito, not because she didn't believe him. "I'm not lying, I am Kirito." He said with more power in his voice.

"Don't give me that bullshit." She spat back at him, her hands returned to her hips. "Like Kirito would be some puny little kid like you." She said, jabbing her hand into his chest to emphasize his puniness.

Kirito felt himself get nudged back by her finger. His eye twitched. "Listen, I know I may not look all that much, but I am Kirito." He said in irritation. So what if he wasn't that big? He had plenty of time to grow. He was only fourteen. "Besides, in a world like this, physical appearances don't even matter. It's all about numbers and equipment."

Sinon crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced at the boy's gear again. _'His equipment does look way beyond anything else on these floors.'_ She didn't have the slightest clue where he got them, or how good they were. The only item she recognized was the «Anneal Blade» on his back, and those were suppose to be crazy hard to get a hold of. She shook her head. "No, I don't buy it." She said, irking him even more. "I'll give you credit for your equipment, but that's all." He tried to speak, but she interrupted him. "Besides, Kirito is probably just some coward barricading himself inside the «Town of Beginnings»."

That wasn't the first time he'd heard that. It was one of the biggest rumors circling the whole 'Kirito' conspiracy. Players usually thought one of three things. That Kirito was hiding away in the «Town of Beginnings», to afraid to fight or reveal himself, that he was plotting together with Kayaba, or that he was the one who led a group into beating the first floor boss. _'Thanks for that, Argo.'_

He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Look, were not getting anywhere. If this keeps up, we'll be here all day and the quest will be taken by someone else." He exaggerated. "So lets put an end to this now." The boy opened his menu up and pressed a tab, sending her a message.

 **You have been invited to a group. Would you like to join?**

 **Yes No**

The girl looked at him for a second. _'There's no way he can be Kirito, right? This has to be some kind of setup.'_ The black haired girl thought. Her finger hovered over the accept button in doubt, before begrudgingly pressing it. She watched as his name appeared under hers in the left field of her vision.

 _Kirito_

Her eyes widened.

No way. This has to be some sort of mistake right? Were her eyes tricking her? There had to be some sort of spelling trick in his name right? Her eyes read the name over and over, looking for some kind of fault, but she couldn't find a single discrepancy. Her words were caught in her throat as she looked at the boy, who oddly enough, had a smirk on his face. Before she could even think of saying anything to him, the elven npc's decided to interject into their conversation.

"So you two have decided to team up!" The «Elven King» spoke loudly, clapping his hands together. "Excellent! We will pack up our things at once and ready ourselves for the expedition!" He gestured to the two doors at the entrance of the tree. "When you are ready to leave, please step outside of the tree." The king and the other elves walked out of the doors, leaving the two players alone inside of the tree.

A menu signifying the quest had been started appeared in front of Kirito, which he dismissed. "Well, shall we get going, _Sinon?_ " He said, taking extra care to drag the pronunciation of her name out just to make fun of her.

The girl was now biting her lower lip, her face embarrassingly red. This guy knew every single button that pissed her off. The smirk on his face begged to be punched. "Y-Y-You." She growled. She tried to say more, but her words refused to leave her throat. She swiftly turned away from him once she felt tears brimming the corners of her eyes. _'I can't let him see me like this. He'll laugh.'_ She thought with grief, trying to pull herself together.

Kirito was about to tease her more before he stopped himself. He watched her turn around. Looking closely, he could see her body shake. His smirk dropped into a frown. _'Did I do something wrong?'_ He was just trying to get back at her. He could have done way worse than that. _'Unless...'_ He knew why she was upset now. He approached her. "You okay, Sinon?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Get off me!" She suddenly turned around, knocking his hand away. "Where were you!?" She screamed at him. Kirito suddenly felt her push him hard against his chest. The push knocked him to the ground as he was too surprised to protect himself. "Why did you abandon us!? Weren't you suppose to help us get through this damn game!?" She fell to her knees, tears freely poured from her eyes. "Why?" She whispered.

He was careless. He was so focused on proving her wrong that he didn't consider all the possibilities on how she would react once she knew the truth. This kind of reaction was one of the ones he expected if a player ever found out his identity. She seemed so aggressive before. Even though he expected she'd react violently, he didn't know she would break down like this.

"I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. He thought he was prepared for something like this so he could somehow defuse it. Nope, actually experiencing someone reacting like this was way different than just expecting it.

Especially when it was a girl.

She sniffed. "No, I'm sorry." She apologized back, surprising him. "I shouldn't have pushed you down, or screamed at you." She tried looking at him, but her head refused to turn his way.

It was the same for Kirito, and his eyes refused to look at anything but the floor. "Its really that bad, huh?" He questioned softly. He tried not to think about it much. He knew that because it was a death game, 'Kirito' would be seen as a lifeline. What would you do in the face of death? Most people would do almost anything to stay alive. That's why people don't have qualms about letting others die to save themselves. Kirito thought back to the time he got his «Anneal Blade» when that player tried killing him. It pissed him off just thinking about it, but he understood that the player was just trying to increase his odds of survival.

Every SAO player knew who Kirito was, so when the death game began, many of them would rely on him to survive. So when he didn't appear, in some weird way, it was like he was throwing them to the wolves, leaving them for dead. Sinon's reaction proved this. She probably expected Kirito to help her and every other player in any way he could. When he didn't, she probably thought she was going to die. The weight of the game suddenly became a lot bigger for her. Even if she has beta knowledge, just one slip up and it could be over. Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could show himself to the public now. If her reaction was anything to go by, then he didn't want to know how a thousand other players would react.

She didn't answer him. They sat in silence for a moment before Sinon stood back up. She dried her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, whatever. You have a lot of explaining to do, _Kirito._ " She mimicked, dragging out his name. Kirito stared back at her dumbfounded before chuckling. Just like that, she was back to being a mouthy bitch.

The male player stood back up as well. "Sure, I'll explain as long as you don't push me again." He teased back, a cocky smile making its way to his face.

Her glare returned. "You're asking for it."

"Okay, okay!" He put his hands up. "I'll answer all your questions, but can we at least get out of here?" Their confrontation lasted way longer then it was suppose to. Any longer and he'd run the risk of other players showing up.

A small part of her wanted to refuse his request just to get back at him, but she also wanted to leave before anyone else entered «Zumfut». She shrugged. "Fine. I suppose you can talk as we go." She walked over to the door entrance. "Move it slow poke, I don't got all day." She jeered before exiting the tree. Kirito sweatdropped.

 _'Women.'_

* * *

The crunching of leaves and the wheels of a carriage were the only sounds as they entered the forest. Both the «Elven King» and «Elven Queen» were inside the carriage, along with all of their supplies. Their four elven guards were stationed with one on each side and two in the back, while both Kirito and Sinon were in front. This was how the quest was supposed to be setup. They were placed in front of the carriage because that's where all the monsters would spawn. The king and queen obviously can't fight and the guards gave little to no help, only attacking when monsters got too close to the carriage.

Kirito sighed in angst. Although the quest didn't give out much help, he wasn't worried. What bothered him was the girl he was walking next to. They'd been traveling for ten minutes and they were clearly a good distance away from «Zumfut», so why hasn't she spoken up and asked anything yet? His hands were firmly stuffed into his pockets while he walked, her silence making him feel more and more uncomfortable. _'Well, might as well get this over with.'_

He cleared his throat. "Monsters won't start spawning in on us for another ten minutes. Now would be the time to ask your questions." Kirito advised, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. He didn't want her to think he was worried about what she was going to ask. He also wanted to pretend their confrontation back in the tree didn't happen. He looked over at Sinon who seemed lost in thought. She was walking slowly with her hands kept steady at her sides. He had to force himself to keep eye contact with her once she looked at him.

"I know." She said, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "I did a ton of research and info gathering back before the game began." She let out a half-hearted laugh. "I guess all that studying is actually paying off now that my life is on the line..." She trailed off as she turned away from him, a strained smile on her face. Kirito turned away as well, intrigued from what she said.

 _'So, she spent a lot of time researching about SAO too.'_ It wasn't all that surprising that people would look up information after the beta test ended. Most beta testers probably weren't able to stop thinking about SAO after how much fun they experienced in VR. There were dozens of forums with many of beta's talking and sharing info with one another The more dedicated fans like himself would spend every second they had looking up new info and come up with their own strategies they could use. Judging by the look on her face, she was probably one of those people who were dedicated.

The boy began to chuckle. "Wow Sinon, I didn't take you to be such a hardcore gamer." Suddenly, pressure began to ease off his shoulders as he felt a lot more comfortable knowing that she was just as big of a nerd as he was.

The girl glared at him, a red tinge on her cheeks. "Oh shut it." She jerked her head away so he wouldn't see her embarrassment. _'Is he making fun of me!'_ Damn him! As if he has any right to talk! She swiftly turned back. "Yeah? And how did you get all of your gear huh? Oh don't tell me, you got lucky and just so happened to come across it!?" She shot back at him.

He waved a hand back dismissively. "Nah, I knew where to find it." He said, not even attempting to fabricate a story. She would probably pick up on it if he did anyway. "But I didn't think that would be the question you wanted to ask me."

His subtle reminder made her eyebrows raise and her scowl fade. She looked down at her feet. "It wasn't." She paused, once again being lost in thought. Kirito waited patiently for her to speak. The girl huffed. "I guess, now that the time is here to ask them, I suddenly can't remember what they are." She kicked a small rock away, the sounds of it shattering into game particles were heard in the distance. "Or maybe it's because I have so many questions, I don't know where to begin."

Another moment of silence passed between them. The wheels of the carriage filled Kirito's ears and he decided to look back at it. The npcs would pretty much be silent for the whole trip. They would give out a compliment after they defeated a group of mobs, but that was it. All they had to do was follow the dirt path they were on and they would eventually be led out of the forest. He turned back to Sinon before sighing once more. _'Here goes nothing.'_ He thought, bracing himself for what he was going to say.

"Well, I bet you're wondering where I've been all this time, right?" He said, more as a statement than a question. Sinon looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to speak up. He shrugged her off. "Don't look at me like that. I already said I'd answer your questions." The black haired girl didn't expect his sudden change in behavior, but it didn't really matter.

"Okay then." She started, feeling more audacious. "Where have you been all this time?" She repeated him. "I'm sure you've heard people asking for you to appear, but you never did. Care to explain why?" She was very interested to hear what he had to say about that. It's not like he didn't know. The search for Kirito was so widespread, everyone in SAO must've heard of him by now. Even the players who didn't know him were quickly informed all about the so called 'professional gamer' that was trapped with them.

She placed her hands back on her hips, the gesture seemingly a habit of hers. "Don't think about lying and saying you don't know either." She lectured him. From the tone and look on her face, he could tell she wasn't in the mood for jokes.

 _'Well there goes that idea.'_ He thought plainly. Maybe if the game offered some sort of lying skill? He shook his head. _'Alright then, no more games. Just the straight up truth and nothing more.'_ His eyes narrowed, his confidence now empowering him. "You want to know where I was?" He questioned once more. Feeling obliged to respond, Sinon nodded her head. He stared at the dirt road as her gaze fell to him. "I was here, playing the game." He said simply.

A huge question mark shot off in Sinon's head. _'What's that supposed to mean?'_ Seriously, he couldn't make that response any more vague if he tried. The girl growled. "Your gonna have to do a much better job then just, 'I was playing the game.' Quit messin' around." She mocked, holding her fingers up to make quotations around his words.

The male player scoffed. "Yeah yeah." He grunted back. He looked up to the sky, letting the forest breeze graze his face. "I mean, I've been stuck here too. It's not like I got a free pass away from death. If I die in here, then I die." He told her. "I'm not wasting away in the «Town of Beginnings», nor am I in a conspiracy with Akihiko Kayaba." The boy finally turned back and looked her in the eyes. "I'm just a normal player. Like you, and everyone else trapped in this game."

The look in his eyes spoke volumes and she could feel how honest he was being. There were plenty of rumors circling Kirito, many of them bad. Even Sinon herself speculated that some of them could be true. But she knew now. He wasn't lying to her. He was just another player trapped inside the death game. Her eyes had unknowingly widened before she quickly blinked, her face falling back into it's usual frown. "Okay, but that doesn't explain everything."

Kirito looked back to the dirt path. "What do you wanna know?" He asked.

The female instantly spoke up. "Why didn't you come out?" She fired at him, irritation pouring from her. "You just said yourself you've been stuck in here, so why hasn't anyone heard from you?"

He voice had a lot more passion in it than it had before. Thinking about that made his body shift uncomfortably. He let out a breath he didn't know he held. "I suppose its the same reason why you're alone." He calmly spoke, flipping the question on her. Sinon's eyebrow shot up, clearly not understanding him. He paused in thought, picking his next choice of words carefully. "Earlier, you said you were alone, right?" She nodded back at him, still not understanding. "And I guess that means you don't usually party up with other people, right?" Another confused nod came his way. The boy kept pushing on. "Why is that? Isn't it safer to fight with other players? Why come out here all on your own? Why not team up with other people if there are clear advantages in doing so?"

She felt annoyed. Why was he asking all these questions!? She angrily faced him. "I dont know! Because I wanted to play by myself!" She yelled at him. Why couldn't he just tell her!? Kirito stared into her eyes. What? Isn't her gonna say anything? "Why are you staring at me like that!?"

He softly shook his head. "Think about your original question and what you just told me. Then you'll know" He hinted. His comment made her seethe in rage. That's it? Now it's all a big mystery?

Sinon scoffed back at him. "Whatever." She seriously hated how this guy liked to mess with her. Even in a situation like this, he could still find a way to piss her off. She pushed back her anger and did what he asked. _'He asked why I play on my own, and I responded that I chose to play by myself because I wanted to.'_ It was true. After the death game was announced, she was hoping that Kirito would show up and help players like her get through the game. When he didn't, she had an odd, empty feeling in her heart. Even so, she decided to venture out into the game on her own. She was offered by many male players to join up with them, but she turned them all down. _'I didn't team up with them because they were all big perverts.'_ She grimaced, disgusted from the thought. _'Still, even if they were normal people, I probably wouldn't of stuck around for long. Most of the time, I'd rather fight a battle by myself than join a group.'_ There was no way she could trust them with her life. She didn't want them to put their trust in her either.

To this day, she still wasn't completely sure why she had thought that. It wasn't like she was trying to be mean. Just, when it comes down to it, she would rather be alone than in a party or guild. Sinon suddenly remembered what Kirito said. _'Think about your original question and what you just told me.'_ Her eyes widened.

Kirito watched as realization hit her. "It seems you figured it out now." He deduced. "We're similar in that way, you and I. Call it a gaming preference." He suggested, a small smile crossing his face. "I've always been a solo player in every game I've played, including SAO."

"..." She couldn't find words to respond to him, but she understood exactly what he was saying. Some people, like herself, prefer to play on their own. It didn't really matter if it was safer to team up or not. She was confident in her abilities and wouldn't dare take on anything out of her league. She was perfectly fine on her own. In fact, the only reason she wanted to team up on the quest with Kirito was because she wanted it to be done faster, not because of safety precautions. The reason Kirito hid himself was because he knew his fame would gravitate players towards him. "I-I..." She stuttered, unable to find words. The boy next to her patiently waited for her to speak. "I... didn't... expect that." Her words trapped themselves in her throat again.

The sword user frowned. Learning this had obviously thrown her off. "I understand." He knew what she was trying to say. If he was a normal player, then what he said wouldn't have mattered much to anyone, but because he was THEE Kirito, it changed everything. He was suppose to be a figure that you could look up to, a role model. Of course everyone would try to team up with him, even those who didn't like teaming up. It was like playing on the side of a hacker in an online competitive match. You instantly win. But now the image she'd painted of him had been completely flipped around. It must have really shocked her to hear that he refused to team up with anyone. "Hey..." He mumbled out, catching her attention. She looked over to him. "You played RAIZE, didn't you?" He asked her gently.

The girl's eyes widened tremendously, her mouth falling open. "H-How did y-you know?"

Kirito chuckled. "It was just a speculation, but thanks for confirming it for me." His words made her cheeks light up, and she quickly moved her scarf to cover her cheeks. "I'm just teasing you." He said, making Sinon cover her face even more. "I knew from the emotion you showed earlier, when you asked where I'd been all this time." She lightly jumped from that. Her scarf was covering her entire face at this point, making him scratch the back of his head.

Damn. Even he was feeling embarrassed for her.

He cleared his throat, his face also burning. "W-Well uh, normally you would be mad at me for not revealing myself, but you were uh.." He looked away from the girl. "You were too... emotional?" He quietly spoke, sounding more as a question than not. He was embarrassed, but he had to ask. He turned back. "Did... you know me in RAIZE?"

Sinon tightly clutched the scarf around her neck. She couldn't answer that. No way. She would die from embarrassment if Kirito found out that she was actually a fan of his. "I-I-"

"Look out! Up ahead!" One of the elven guards yelled out to them as the carriage came to a stop. The two players turned forward and watched as monsters spawned in front of them. It was the first batch of mobs of the quest. There were five «Forest Goblin» and three «Forest Spider» in front of them. On the single player route, there are way less monsters that spawn in, the most at one time being five. Because they were going on the fast route and that there were two of them, the quest decided to throw more monsters their way.

Kirito swiftly withdrew his blade, the question he had asked now long forgotten. "Get ready Sino-" His eyes raised as he looked at her. Said girl had already drawn her spear and had taken a combat stance.

She gave him a small glance. "Take care of the goblins, I'll get the spiders." She commanded, once again surprising him. He didn't have anymore time to think as the monsters began approaching them at a fast speed.

He sprinted off to intercept them. "Hah!" He grunted, beheading the goblin at the head of the pack. He sprinted through all of them and beheaded the last goblin, it's head spiraling away before shattering against a tree. The remaining goblins and three spiders turned around to aggro on him, as he was the closest target. One of the goblins darted out towards him, it's hands up and ready to scratch at him. The «Forest Goblin» didn't have any weapons, but their nails were sharp. They only attacked with their hands. Having greater reach, Kirito used «Lunge» to stab the goblin in the head, killing it before it could get close. As it shattered into pieces, Kirito saw Sinon's spear pierce through one of the spiders. She struck it straight in the middle, it's weak spot. The creature screeched before it died, the girl readying her weapon towards another eight-legged creature.

 _'I see her plan now.'_ The male player assessed as he parried a goblin before slicing the other through the stomach. At first he thought she wanted to fight the spiders because there were less of them, but he realized that wasn't it at all. Her weapon was better suited for fighting spiders, while his was for goblins. He could get up and close to goblins, blocking and slashing with ease, as they were roughly the same height as humans. Spiders however, were much more difficult. A «One-Handed Sword» user would have to bend low, inadvertently making a sloppy swing which would give the spider the advantage. A player who uses «Polearms», however, could just aim their spear lower, easily defeating it.

The boy smirked. _'Not a bad plan. Not bad at all.'_ He thought, slicing down the last goblin. He turned around and watched as she stabbed the last spider, killing it. _'She may have a bad attitude, but she has good skills, and intuition.'_ She was a good player, much better then he initially gave her credit for.

"Marvelous!" The «Elven Queen» applauded from the carriage, she and her husband clapping at them. "You both did wonderful!"

The king scratched his beard. "Indeed they did." He gave the two players a friendly smile. "Please continue to protect us! Our journey is a long one!"

Kirito sighed. "The first of many repetitive compliments." He mumbled under his breath, already experiencing it before. He flicked his sword and sheathed it, approaching his spear-wielding partner. "Nice job. I didn't expect skill like that to come from someone as mouthy as you." He joked, poking fun at her.

The girl grunted back, her weapon also returning to her back. "Is that messed up comment suppose to be a compliment?" She crossed her arms and looked away. "Hmph. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're insulting me to compensate for your own crappy sword skills." She aimed a cocky smile towards him. "I didn't think that was all the grand 'Kirito' had. If you keep fighting like that, you'll never keep up with me." She taunted as she marched forward, continuing their quest.

She completely walked past him in stride, the grin on her face eating into his skin. His eyebrow twitched. "What are you talking about? I'm the one who fought five enemies, you only fought three." He tried rebutting, quickly following after her. The wheels from the carriage began to move again and the guards simply followed suit.

Sinon turned her head back to him. "Yeah, only because I told you to, and you listened just like a little dog." She laughed at him, pretending to stifle herself with her hand. A vein on the boy's head bulged as she infuriated him to no end. She knew she was angering him, but it was just too easy.

 _'And fun.'_ The girl thought, a small, genuine smile hidden away from the boy. Never in all her life did she think she would be casually talking face-to-face with the famous gamer Kirito, or tease him for that matter. _'He's way different then I ever expected.'_ She thought he'd at least be an adult, but judging from his frail and wimpy frame, he was probably around her age.

Her thoughts were interrupted from the angered player behind her. "Yeah? We'll see how that tough attitude holds up later in the quest. We still have a long way to go, so don't complain to me when I'm saving the day and your screaming like a little girl." He sighed. It wasn't much, but it was the best insult he could come up with. What could he say? He wasn't all that used to communicating with others, even online. _'Still, the quest will start to get harder and harder. I'll have to keep an eye on her. From what I've assessed, she's pretty good. Guess we'll just see.'_ He thought, catching up to the girl.

Sinon didn't respond to his weak comeback. She closed her eyes and let herself bask in the sunlight that poked through the trees overhead. It was early morning. Even though it was a virtual world, it was still nice to feel the sunrise and the wind blowing.

Kirito noticed her silence and her calm demeanor, but deciding not to comment on it. He'd let her be for now. The male took in his surroundings and the girl he was standing beside. Strangely, right now, he didn't hate her all that much. In fact, he kind of enjoyed her company as they walked together. His hands were back inside his pockets, still ready in case an enemy decided to appear. He wouldn't know when that would be now that they'd fought the first group of monsters, but they shouldn't be hard to fight for at least a good while. _'I got nothing to worry about. I'm level 24.'_ He added in the back of his mind, a small smile gracing his face.

Thinking about his level, he thought about hers. _'I wonder how strong she is?'_ If she was a beta tester and could get to «Zumfut» as fast as she did, then clearly she wasn't a noob. Easily over level 10. _'Maybe, 12? Or 13?'_ If he didn't fight two floor bosses, he would be five or six levels at most above her. He shrugged his shoulders. _'I'm not gonna ask her, it's kind of rude after all.'_ More importantly, if he did ask her, there was a high chance she would ask about his level. He definitely didn't want her doing that.

He enjoyed the silence for a little more before deciding to speak up. He was sure there would be more moments of silence, but you couldn't spend the whole trip without some conversation, right? "I wonder if anyone made it to «Zumfut» yet." He said, the question invading his mind.

His voice knocked Sinon out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh. Well, yeah. I would guess so." She responded, not expecting him to try and make small talk. Was he perhaps flirting with her? The thought made her blush. _'So stupid, he's just trying to make things less awkward.'_ She reprimanded herself, covering her mouth with her scarf.

Kirito noticed the action. "Is something wrong? You're covering your face."

"No! Shut up, idiot!" She quickly yelled before turning away, still holding the scarf over her cheeks.

The sword user sighed. "Geez, sorry for nothing, I guess." He mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.

She turned back around to him with a scowl. "And stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" He sighed back.

The girl pointed at him. "That!" She claimed. "You keep sighing all the damn time! It's so annoying!" She lectured him, once again jamming her finger into his chest.

 _'This again?'_ He grimaced. Now that he actually thought about it, he remembered the time when Asuna said something similar to him. "Come on, it's not that bad, is it?"

"It is! It's really annoying!" She crossed her arms back under her chest. "Boys are so stupid." She muttered out of her scarf.

Kirito looked down to her arms and noticed her rather impressive chest being pushed up. He quickly looked away. _'Shit! I don't wanna know what she'd do if she caught me looking at her chest!'_ He thought a little panicked. The boy shook away those thoughts, coughing into a hand. "Yeah? Well deal with it." He said back. He was about to sigh again before catching himself. _'I'm not always gonna be able to stop my sigh.'_ He thought, having to now inwardly sigh at his bad luck. Not even a minute ago they seemed cool, now she was pissed off at him for no real reason.

 _'Maybe I can change the subject?'_ He couldn't leave it on another bad foot, he had to try again. It would be bad if he pissed her off and she went and ratted him out to everyone. No way was that gonna fly, though. Kirito cleared his throat. "S-"

"Look out!" An elven guard shouted from behind them, the carriage again coming to a halt. His voice died into a sigh, ignoring Sinon's tantrum. He swiftly took out his sword, gripping it with both hands and holding it out directly in front of him. "Here we go again."

This time, there were six goblins in front of them, but not a single spider. _'An easy fight.'_ They both thought. The monsters during the quest spawn in randomly. Like a normal quest, they get consecutively harder. The game will throw a limited amount of monsters at you, and once you've reached a certain point in the quest, it will begin to spawn harder ones.

Sinon also withdrew her spear and positioned herself to fight. The stance she was using surprised Kirito. _'I didn't notice it earlier, but that's a martial artist stance.'_ Not the game skill, but real martial arts. The girl was holding her spear next to her abdomen. Her right hand clenched the bottom of it while her left gripped the middle. Her legs were also bent, ready to use her weapon on an approaching enemy. He learned a whole lot about martial arts when he was younger, the one he ever actually trained in was kendo. Still, even if he didn't know much about other branches of martial arts, he had the knowledge to recognize the traditional stance she used.

 _'I'll comment on it later.'_ He thought, rushing out in front of her. They'd already established from the last fight that it was better for him to be in front, and her in the back. He can defend enemies off easily up close and she can attack from a longer distance. Two goblins rushed at the boy, but he easily knocked them away. Turning around, he finished them off with «Horizonal», bisecting them both through their midsections. Another goblin tried flanking his back, but he was able to use his left hand to activate «Hammerfist», pushing the goblin into Sinon's spear and killing it.

The other three charged at the players. Kirito was able to move again after a short cool down and quickly ran behind them. Using the same tactic as the last fight, he aimed for the last goblin and cut it's head off with another «Horizonal». One of the goblins turned around towards him, while another sprinted on at Sinon. His sword skill shortly stunned him enough for the goblin to get closer. It reached for him, only to get a boot to it's face. The goblin looked dazed, before turning around and running away.

"Shoot." He mumbled under his breath. He accidentally kicked it into Sinon's direction, making it aggro onto her instead of him. He watched as she finished the other goblin off with a «Thrust», a basic sword skill for «Polearms». The goblin ran up to attack her stunned body. It's running was slow and Kirito easily caught up to it. He lifted his sword over his head to finish it off, only to see a glowing red fist punch it in the face. The goblin's head rocketed back before it's body shattered into light particles.

Kirito's mouth fell open. _'Wait.. was that..'_ He thought in shock.

The girl in front of him huffed, putting her spear away. "Nice one, you almost got me hit." She said, sarcasm filling her voice to the brim.

The boy in black shook his head. "Wait a second, you have «Martial Arts»?" He questioned. The girl in question was looking at one of her hands, checking if she broke a nail. _'As if they could break!'_ He thought in irritation.

Sinon looked up at him plainly. "Of course I can use «Martial Arts». Any well-rounded player would know where to find it." She put her hand down, obviously not finding a scratch on it. "All you have to do is ask Argo for the location and she'll sell it to you for 1,000 col." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "See, now you got me sighing, stupid."

Kirito's eyebrows narrowed. Argo the Rat... Once again, she'd done something that tremendously irked him. He released a heavy breath as he sheathed his weapon, calming himself. The boy had already expected her to do that. He was one hundred percent sure she would. After all, any chance to make 1,000 col just for some information at this stage of the game was a steal. Still wasn't great to hear that she went ahead and did it, though. _'Argo the Rat...'_ He thought as the two players began to walk again, the npcs behind them applauding their skill. Personally, he believed that the two of them didn't click at all. Argo on the other hand, would tell you another story with complete certainty, too. Even after being constantly told she was annoying to him, she went ahead and pursued their relationship anyway. _'She always finds a new way to get under my skin.'_ Argo loved to do that, too. She was the type of girl who would always get what she wanted, one way or another. A social butterfly, the complete opposite of a guy like him. It wasn't so surprising that Sinon knew her, she probably had every beta tester on her friends list. Heck, by now she probably had every single player in Aincrad added. _'Everyone but me.'_ He thought grimly.

If there was one person in this death game who he absolutely had to protect his true identity from, it was her. He had no doubt in his mind that if she knew, everyone would know within the next hour. _'That girl would sell anyone out for the right price...'_ Even with all their differences, Kirito didn't exactly hate the info broker. That didn't mean he had to like her either. Her method was actually smart. She could make tons of col by selling useful information that would help people survive. Looking at it like that, she would probably become a better asset to the people than he ever could. Kirito doubted she would receive any kind of major hate for her entire stay in SAO. In a way, she did "step up" to help players who didn't know what they were doing, even though it was a secondary goal as she wanted to make money.

He felt himself cringe at the thought. Argo sort of inadvertently took the role he was suppose to fill. Sure, she couldn't lead anyone and her fighting skills weren't the best, her weapon of choice being a single claw. Even so, she knew a ton of information. He didn't like how she played the game, but he was glad she was around to give out a helping hand where he refused to.

A snarky voice interrupted his thoughts. "Seriously, how clumsy could you be? Can you at least try not to get me killed in battle? If I'm gonna die, I want it to be on my own terms, not because of some loser teammate." Sinon berated him, her tone sounding way less harmful than it suggested.

The boy spared her a glance before looking back to the ground. _'She's just teasing me.'_ Probably in an attempt to get under his skin again. It wasn't gonna work this time. "Yeah alright, I'll take these fights a little more serious." He said, calmly blowing her off. The black haired girl huffed at him before turning away. He returned to thinking. _'I'm not all that used to my strength yet.'_ He thought, fighting down a chuckle. At level 24, he shouldn't have to use sword skills against these monsters. They were all roughly level 10. They would get stronger down the road, but even then he could easily overpower them. _'Maybe I'm just used to fighting bosses?'_ He joked. Currently, bosses should be the only challenge he would come across. _'That, and of course the mobs in the hidden dungeon.'_ Kirito reminded himself. He would have to go back there and grind off on them. The boy had already outleveled everything on this floor and the next, it wouldn't do any good wasting time grinding away for useless xp on anything here. _'I guess after this quest, I'll snatch a few food quest and go back down to the dungeon.'_

Kirito was hit with a small epiphany. He turned to Sinon. "So, what are your plans after this quest." He asked, feeling rather proud about his question. Discussing future plans is a great conversation starter.

The female player looked towards him. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it." She replied back. Kirito's elation began to diminish. That's it? His shoulders begin to slump. "Well, I guess I have to search for a new spear. This one just isn't cutting it anymore." She spoke, gesturing to the long weapon on her back.

His shoulders perked back up. "Really? The spear on your back looks nice. I figured it would be powerful enough to last you at least a couple of floors." He looked back to her weapon of choice. It seemed to be a fine polearm, the wood perfectly smooth with nice etchings drawn into it and the blade tip was a shiny steel. "What's wrong with it?"

Sinon's usual frown deepened. "It's called an «Ornate Spear»." She explained, looking back at her weapon with disdain. "It looks nice and all, but it's actually terrible. The attack's on it are fine, but the durability sucks. I've had to use all of it's enhancements on durability just to keep it from breaking." She complained.

From the sound of it, she really didn't like her weapon. _'I wouldn't like mine either if it broke so easily. I'd rather have a stupid looking weapon that's powerful than a fancy looking weapon that's garbage.'_ Kirito thought. He never understood how some people think. Some gamers would actually choose looks over power. Even if it was the most powerful weapon in the game, if it was ugly, they wouldn't use it. _'That's so stupid.'_ Thinking about people who played like that actually pissed him off to no end. What's the point of playing a game just to look good? You play to be powerful! He would never understand that kind of logic...

The girl player sighed. "You're suppose to be a pro, right? Know a place where I can get a new spear?" She asked. Her question almost sounded like she was taunting his 'pro gamer' status.

Kirito smirked anyway. "Of course." He began. "On the eastern side of floor four, there's a monster called the «Scuttle Crab». It hides itself in the rocky terrain of the east, using the rocks as a disguise. They are pretty big for crabs and they have good defensive abilities because of their shell. Their weak point is their mouth that gets exposed once they go in for an attack. Because they are short, it would be easy for a spear user like you to fight them." He lectured her, his smile growing as he explained. "They use their claws to snap at the player, and they have a second attack that lets them spit harmful bubbles from their mouths. It's best to strike them before they pull off the bubble attack though."

Sinon stared at the boy who looked passionate as he spoke. "Because it's one of the stronger monsters on the floor, they have good drop tables. The rarest item they drop is the «Three-Pronged Spear», a one in five hundred chance to get." He continued. "The weapon has three steel blades as it's tip, which they bend outward from each other to form the weapon. The shaft of the spear is grey, and there is a circular pattern inscribed in the middle of the spear." He stuck a finger out. "Oh and there is also a small sharp point at the other end of the spear, kind of like a spike. I'm not sure if it can be used to attack, though." He finished, looking her in the eyes. "Did you get all of that, Sinon?"

Said girl looked stunned. She blinked a few times. "Wow, so you really do know a lot about the game. Guess they don't call you a pro for nothing." She said, making the boy blush. He wasn't sure if she was complimenting him or not, but her words did give him a funny feeling in his stomach. "So, giving you the benefit of the doubt, just how good is this spear?" She questioned. "Oh and if I find out your lying to me-"

"I wouldn't!" Kirito quickly held his hands up to cut her off. He wouldn't lie over something like this, especially now that she had some serious baggage on him. She sighed before nodding, gesturing for him to continue. He coughed into a hand. "Right. The «Three-Pronged Spear», as far as I know, is pretty powerful." He said, continuing where he left off. "As far as durability goes, it should have a little more than my «Anneal Blade»." He thumbed back towards his sword. "Which is pretty good." He added, using the same hand to scratch his head. "Uh, it's not as strong as my sword though, as spears are typically weaker than swords." He told her, smiling awkwardly. "But it's got long range and handles well. It can also be strengthened by +10 like my sword, too. I also heard it comes with a small defense bonus. Strange for a weapon to have, but my guess is that it has that because of the defensive type monster it comes from."

Her eyebrow raised. "A defense bonus on a weapon? I didn't know weapons could get bonuses like that." Weapons were purely for offensive purposes, so having any type of defensive bonus was rare. "I've never heard of something like that." Sinon glared at the boy. "Are you sure your not pulling my leg?" She threatened.

His hands came back up. "I'm not! Honest!" Kirito blinked as the girl huffed and turned away. "I'm not all that surprised you didn't know about it. The spear isn't that popular because the monster can be annoying to fight. Not many quests require it to be killed, either. Still, you did say you did a lot of research. I assumed a spear user like yourself would've known it." He said genuinely. Not a hint of teasing or sarcasm was in his voice.

She blushed angrily. "I couldn't spend all my time looking up information! I had other stuff to do too, you know!"

"R-Right." He forced out a chuckle, trying to calm her down. "Well, if you doubt me, I guess you can just go and ask Argo about it. I'm sure she'll tell you." He suggested. His eyes quickly widened. "But you cannot tell her a single thing about me! Not even pretend!" He stepped in front of her and clapped his hands together, stopping her in place. "She'll ruin me! Please!" He begged her, lowering his head.

Sinon looked surprised at his sudden action before laughing, actually laughing. "I didn't expect the almighty 'Kirito' to be scared of a small rat!" She laughed at him, air quoting his name again. She patted him several times on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. As long as you answer all of my questions, I'll let you go." She smiled at him, a smile that made his heart skip.

 _'Wow.'_ Could all girls do that? Because Sinon could be really pretty when she wanted to. His thoughts returned to her words. "There's more?" Kirito sulked. He knew in the back of his mind that she had more questions for him, but he still wanted to prolong answering them.

Her smile changed into a devious smirk. "Oh yeah. Don't think your gonna get out of them, either." The girl's grip on his shoulder tightened, giving the poor boy a forlorn feeling.

Kirito sighed. "Okay, fine." He replied as the girl let go of him. "But I still got some questions for you, too. Like earlier when we were fighting." He said, his own question returning to him. Kirito placed his hands in his coat pockets and they began on their walk again. "The stance you used, it reminded me of a martial artist." He tilted his head at her. "Did you used to practice a form of bōjutsu in real life?"

A moment of surprise appeared on Sinon. "I didn't expect you would notice something like that." She commented, a small bit of praise leaking from her. She waved a hand at him. "No, I didn't actually do any real training. I knew I was going to use a spear in the game, so to help me out with fighting, I decided to look up some basic techniques experts in bōjutsu use." She gave him a small smile. "I'm impressed you caught something like that."

A small blush grazed his cheeks. He looked away. "Well, back in the beta I met a few spear users. They were all pretty clumsy with their weapon, as spears or staffs are harder to hold properly than most other weapons. Watching you do it so well, I could only assume." He said back. "I guess I did recognize the stance you used, too." He added, scratching the back of his head.

She gained a mischievous look. "Recognized huh?" She said, causing Kirito to look back at her. "While were on the topic, I noticed you were taking what looked like a kendo stance. So what, did you take kendo in real life?" She prodded, her eyes playfully narrowing.

Kirito blinked. "Wait." His eyes widened. "I've been taking a kendo stance?" He asked in shock. The girl slowly nodded.

"Wait, you didn't know you were?"

It had been a long time since he had trained in kendo. So long, in fact he almost never thought about it. Kendo was something that he had done and moved on from. Even so, he still remembered how he would hold a shinai. He didn't realize that he'd still remembered all the katas he had trained in by heart, as if he had never stopped training. A pained smile made it's way to Kirito's face. "Yeah, I did do kendo. It was a long time ago. I guess I took the traditional kendo stance without even noticing it. I guess its because I'm using a sword and all." He said, a massive wave of memories poured back from the depths of his mind.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Oh well, I suppose that doesn't matter now. Although I never expected I'd ever use kendo in a real life situation." He laughed at how ironic it was. At times, he really hated kendo, but now it could be the very thing that could save his life. Kirito tapped the sword on his back. "Even though the situation is pretty surreal."

Sinon looked at the sword he gestured to and felt herself smile. The situation they were in was beyond scary, but even beyond that was how ridiculous it sounded. Who actually gets trapped in a video game of all places? The whole thing sounds like it came straight out of an anime! "Yeah, your right." She laughed back. After thinking about it like that, it kind of made her feel a little better. Sure it was scary, but damn was it stupid.

Their moment was cut short as monsters spawned in front of them once again. They both drew their weapons out in record pace and readied themselves. Kirito, however, felt a small pang of sadness in the back of his mind, taking a glance at the girl. _'I wished we could talk some more instead of fighting mobs.'_ He surprised himself again. He wanted nothing to do with the black-headed harpy the first time he met her, but now he was truly enjoying her company, even with her annoying flaws. Particularly her bitchy attitude, he might add.

Kirito thought about the girl he met earlier in his playthrough, Asuna. They were similar in a few ways, but also vastly different. He never expected he would once again enjoy being around someone else after he met Asuna. Another girl, no less. _'Or maybe it's because they're both girls?'_ He sweatdropped.

"Kirito!" Sinon's yell snapped him back to the battle. "Come on, take out the ones on the ground, I'll get the archer's in the tree!" She commanded back as she took off.

Archers? Already? He looked up at the direction she ran to and sure enough, there were three «Forest Goblin Archer» sitting there with their bows pointed at them. Instead of normal goblins that use their long nails to fight, these used bows and hid up on tree branches. A wooden arrow shot at him which he narrowly ducked under. He looked in front of him to see three spiders and three normal goblins. A spider leaped at him, easily being sliced in two with his sword, the blade coming back and batting a goblin away. Kirito turned back to Sinon.

The spear user jumped as high as she could at the tree and pushed her spear upwards, the bladed tip just barely able to get stuck inside the tree. The girl then used the momentum from her jump and flipped herself upright onto the branch. Kirito felt his mouth fall. Never had he seen a spear user move so fluently, or amazingly. He thought he was the only person who used that move. _'I wonder if I look that cool when I do that.'_ The boy thought as he reminisced his fight with Baran. Kirito was quite literally knocked out of his thoughts when a spider barreled into his chest, pushing him back.

The boy grunted as his health bar slowly dropped. _'Come on, focus! She can handle herself.'_ He didn't know why he kept wanting to watch Sinon, but he restrained himself and stabbed the spider through it's midsection. One of the goblins ran at him with it's hands out, losing both of them and it's head. The remaining spider was dispatched as well with a kick and a slice. Kirito turned around at the last goblin which had tried to sneak up on him. "HAH!" He yelled, grabbing the sword with both hands and heavily striking it through. The goblin flew back and harshly slammed into a tree, shattering into glass-like particles.

Sinon, meanwhile, had just killed the third and final archer before a massive force crashed into the tree she was on. Her eyes widened as she lost her footing and fell off the branch, her spear falling out of her hands.

Kirito heard her yelp and watched her fall out of the tree. "Sinon!" He dropped his sword and held his hands out to catch her falling body. The girl yelped once more as she delicately landed in his arms. She looked up at the boy who caught her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She lightly nodded back in embarrassment. "Y-Yeah." She said quietly. ' _Wait, what's that?'_ She thought as she felt something firm touching her butt. Her gaze lowered down towards the feeling and saw that it was a hand, that was connected to an arm. Kirito followed her gaze and his eyes too had landed on his hand.

All of his thoughts had faded away as he focused in on his grip. _'What is this feeling?'_ He slowly tried to process the sensation his hand felt. _'It's... soft.'_ Kirito's hand unconsciously squeezed the clothed flesh that filled it, his body feeling very hot.

And very good.

"KYAAAAAAAA!" The yell could be heard for miles as Sinon's scream pierced the male player's ears. Kirito was harshly snapped out of his trance as a foot came flying at his face. Kirito gasped in fear and tossed the girl away, her boot missing the boy's face by millimeters. Sinon landed on the ground roughly and looked up at him. Her entire face red and full of embarrassment. "Y-You!" She screeched as her body shook in rage. Kirito's throat was too dry to speak and he felt a dark pit build up inside of him.

He was in for it now.

* * *

"Amazing work, adventurers!" The «Elven King» spoken from inside of the loaded carriage. "We should be out of the forest soon. Please keep it up!" Kirito spared the npc a small glance before his eyes latched back onto the still fuming female ahead of him.

He could hear the stomps that crashed into the ground under her and he looked down to see small footprints of Sinon's feet in the dirt. _'I really messed up.'_ The boy sweatdropped, holding back a sigh so he wouldn't anger her any further. _'And right as we were starting to get along, too.'_ His head hung in guilt and shame. The girl had commanded him to stay at a ten feet distance so he couldn't sexually harass her again. He truly did feel bad about taking pleasure in the action. He apologized profusely but she wasn't having any of it. It had been over half an hour since he'd done it, but she still hadn't forgiven him. _'Least I can say I grabbed a girl's ass.'_ The sadden player thought in attempt to cheer himself up. That's something he never thought he would be able to do, least in the virtual world, anyway.

 _'Wait, does it even count if it's not in the real world?'_ Kirito speculated. True she was a real girl, but she technically had a virtual body. Even though the body she currently has should mimic her real one perfectly, it still wasn't actually a real body. Kirito had to bite his tongue to prevent him from sighing once again. It was starting to become a bad habit.

The male player pocketed his hands and slowly picked his head up from the ground. No use beating himself up about it now. If she was going to forgive him, it would have to be on her own, nothing he could do would really change that. He took in Sinon's figure once more. The girl had calmed down a bit from her initial onslaught. For a second he thought she was going to turn into an orange player. Hell, the anger she'd shown could easily qualify her for a red cursor. Watching her walk, his eyes slowly fell down onto her rear end. He had a perfect view of it, and the way she was walking accentuated the way it bounced up and down. The hormonal teen felt himself getting lost in the sight before him...

...

. _K..._

.. _Kir..._

"Hey Kirito!"

"Huh?" The boy's head snapped up at lightning speed as Sinon stopped and turned back to look at him.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" She questioned back in annoyance. The spear user walked back and stood in front of him. Her aura was intimidating as always with her hands on her hips, making him take a small step back. "I said we're reaching near the exit soon, so be ready, alright?" She huffed out with an almost forceful tone.

Kirito swallowed. "Right. I was spacing out earlier, sorry." He apologized to her, tension filling his voice. His apology was deemed acceptable as the black haired girl nodded and turned around, once again taking the lead. "Wait." Kirito called out, making her stop. "Does that mean you-"

"Oh geez." Kirito winced as she harshly spoke back. Clearly he shouldn't have said anything. Her sigh rang in his ears as she rubbed her head in vexation. "Whatever, it's fine." She quickly stared a hole into him. "But don't even think about doing it again. Not even on accident, you got it?"

He took another step back. "Yes ma'am!" He nodded back vehemently. Sinon stared at him for a few more seconds before scoffing and walking away. Kirito sighed, taking notice that she didn't comment on it this time. _'It seems everything is back to normal now.'_ She still seemed frustrated, but that seemed to be the typical Sinon behavior.

She was right though. They were reaching near the end of the quest, which meant they were coming up on a stronger enemy.

Specifically, the mini boss.

Instead of the usual ugly, greenish «Forest Goblin» that they've fought countless of times, the mini boss would be the «Forest Troll». The troll was also green and ugly, but he was way bulkier than the goblins. He was taller and also carried a big, wooden club as it's weapon. The monster was slow, but quite powerful. In fact, the troll was probably the strongest mini boss on the current floor and the previous ones. The reason for that was obvious. The higher the risk you take, the bigger the pay off, and this quest wasn't just going to hand over a powerful, exclusive sword without some form of challenge.

Kirito decided to speak his mind and sped up to stand next to her. "I'm sure you've done your research and know that a mini boss will be spawning in soon." Sinon silently nodded back, a small spark of worry crossed her eyes. "Don't worry, I've fought this guy before and he is easy to outmaneuver." His words didn't seem to help much as she still appeared to be a little nervous.

 _'There's got to be a way for me to help her out.'_ He thought with a soft hum. This was probably the first time she'd fight a boss with her life on the line. It wasn't a real boss, but with only two people, it could prove to be dangerous. Players usually form a full party of six to take one down. _'Well, I'm way too powerful to be even remotely worried. Still, it's not like I can tell her that.'_ What could he do to help calm her nerves? Kirito's eyes lit up and he smirked at her. "What, don't tell me your gonna back down now?" Sinon's eyes shot up at him as he began to walk in front of her. "Chicken, I suppose I'll have to hold your hand. Just keep quiet and stay out of the way." He spoke back, waving her off as if she were useless.

The girl's face lit up a furious red. "WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY!" Kirito was barely able to avoid the spear tip that headed for his face. "I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!"

Kirito backed up from the fiery girl. "Hey chill out! I was just trying to help!"

This pissed her off even more. "HELP! HOW!?" She marched up to him, aiming her spear for another strike at his head.

"Well, your not nervous anymore, right!?" He spoke out fast. The girl's feet froze right in there tracks. Kirito watched her face morph from anger into surprise. He decided to speak again. "You were worried about the mini boss, right?" He asked her.

Sinon slowly let her spear fall to her side and looked down. "Yeah." She said, barely above a whisper.

The boy smiled at her. "Trust me, it'll be okay." He eased. "Besides, if anything bad does happen, I'll protect you, promise." Sinon looked at him again in shock. Kirito cockily placed his hands on his hips, chest pumped. "Who am I kidding, I'm Kirito! We got nothing to worry about!" He laughed with complete and absolute confidence in himself.

"Oh shut up." She replied as she sped up to walk on pace with the narcissist. "You may be a pro gamer, but I've got skills too." They both smirked at each other. "But, thank you." She mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

Kirito didn't comment, letting her words go up in the air. _'I can't believe I said all of that to her.'_ He thought back on his words. _'I said I would protect her without even thinking about it.'_ He was surprised at how cool he sounded. What's more, he wasn't even embarrassed by it. _'Strange, maybe this game is changing me.'_ He didn't mind that change. Hell, if he could talk to girls, then he was all for it.

He decided to think about that later and focused more on the present. "Okay, let's talk about strategy."

Sinon glanced back to him. "Yeah, good call." She said. "Well, you have experience fighting him. Got a plan?" She asked.

 _'Well, I originally had a plan to fight him by myself, but I can't really tell her that.'_ Kirito sweatdropped. This should be fine though. With both of their builds, there was a pretty simple strategy that could work between them. "Yeah. Since I use a sword, I will be taking front guard and block most of his attacks, as well as lure his attention away from you. Since you have better reach with your spear, you'll hang back until there is an opening and strike with a sword skill." He explained as he too mulled it over. It was basic, but there was no need to make a complicated strategy so early in the game.

Slender fingers grazed the wood of her spear as she listened. "Not a bad plan. It's simple, but very effective." If they were to go through with it, she would be doing most of the damage. Her gaze loomed at the weapon on her back, momentarily doubting it's strength. "Yeah let's do it." Sinon said with more confidence than before. She knew her stats were strong enough to deal damage to the boss. She spent every damned day in this game trying to get as powerful as she could. There was no way she would let this monster get the better of her.

A smug look crossed Kirito's face. "Yeah, easy for you to say, as I'll be doing most of the work."

Her eye twitched. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, a bright flash of blue light blinded her. "Ah, what th-"

"Get behind me Sinon!" He commanded as he stood in front of her, his sword drawn faster than she could blink. Sinon was able to peek over the side of Kirito's head and at the creature.

 **«Forest Troll»**

"So that's him, huh?" She questioned, drawing her spear. He was bigger than she thought, easily standing ten feet tall. _'Damn, it's even uglier than those goblins!'_ She thought as she looked at the vile creature. The troll looked at their group before giving a massive roar as it's name and two health bars appeared over it's head. The npcs behind them began to scamper in fear as they tried to hide from the monster.

"Let's go Sinon! We have to rush it fast!" Kirito spoke as he darted ahead. If they were fast, they could get a solid hit in before the monster could even defend itself.

"R-Right!" She hesitated before following the boy, spear held out in front ready to thrust with a skill. Kirito rushed the beast as quick as he could, watching the troll use both of it's hands to raise the club over it's head.

He'd seen that move before. ' _F_ _irst move is an overhead strike!'_ The male player tilted his body right as the club was swung down hard, narrowly missing him. He activated the sword skill «Diagonal» and cleanly sliced through the troll from shoulder to waist. It let out a screech as Kirito maneuvered his sword to smack it's weapon away. "Now, switch!" He commanded.

Sinon lunged forward with her spear positioned at the monster's stomach. The weapon lit up a light blue as her own sword skill «Thrust» was activated. She grunted as the pole arm pierced into the beast's flesh with precision accuracy, completely tearing through it and out of its back. Another large roar came from the monster as it lifted the club again, this time going for a side smash. Sinon gasped. _'I got too close!'_ She wanted to do a lot of damage and overstepped her range. She was now in sword range, rather than spear range.

"HAH!" Sharp steel collided into heavy wood as the troll's club and Kirito's sword clashed. "Step back! I'll make another opening!" He yelled over the sound of his weapon grinding into the troll's wooden club. The girl quickly obeyed him and spaced herself from the two. She gripped her spear tightly, feeling embarrassed and angry that she was already getting carried away at the start of the fight. "Switch!" Kirito yelled back, using it's own weapon to knock it off balance.

Once again, She positioned her spear to use «Thrust» once more, aiming the spear head at the troll's face. The tip thrust directly into its eye, another loud roar bellowing from the beast. This time, she was ready and jumped back as soon as her weapon had hit its mark. She refused to be a burden in this fight.

Kirito jumped in front of the girl, preparing for another clash with the troll. Sinon watched as the boy held off the club that had swung down on him. _'How in the world is he able to hold off its attack?'_ Parrying was one thing, but he stopped the club dead in its tracks with his own sword. He said the «Forest Troll» was very slow, but hit hard. She could feel how strong the monster was every time Kirito blocked it from the vibrations their clash made through the ground. _'He really is a strong player.'_ She shook her head and charged her weapon with another sword skill. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in her head. She jabbed the beast again and backed off. "Switch!" She called as Kirito took her place with his blade ready to defend. This cycle continued until Sinon had drained the monster to it's last bar of health, the color turning from yellow to red.

"Get ready for its spin attack!" Kirito called out. Both players jumped away as the «Forest Troll» began to spin in rapid circles with it's club held out. They each ran behind a different tree as the troll went on a rampage. This was it's last attack. A spin move that continuously swung the club around it's body until it hit something. The trick was to lure the monster to a tree where it would smack into it and stop, giving them an opening.

However, the beast had other plans. Instead of going for the players, it went for the carriage they were protecting. "SHIT!" Kirito yelled and darted from the tree. If it destroyed the carriage or killed the elves they would fail the quest!

Sinon gasped as she helplessly watched the troll head for the npcs. _'What do I do!?'_ She panicked. She couldn't stop that thing even if she tried! _'Please Kirito, do something!'_ Kirito ran in front of the carriage and turned on his heel. He let out a loud yell as he launched off the ground back at the troll. Sinon's eyes widened. _'He's taking it head on!?'_ He may have been able to stop it before, but this was insane! Without another second to even blink, the girl watched as he collided with the mini boss, a loud smack ringing the entire area. Her mouth fell open as she could do nothing but stare in shock as the giant's attack was stopped instantly.

True to what she saw, the boy held his sword on top of the troll's club, stopping the horizontal spin with a single vertical strike. "Hit it Sinon!" The beast realizing it had been stopped, began to yank the club with all it's might in an attempt to get itself free. The girl stared at them, shaken with shock before blinking it away. She gave a battle yell of her own as she hit the beast with her sword skill, plunging the weapon through its back and out its stomach. The red bar of health above the trolls head dwindled away until nothing remained. With one last cry, it shattered into millions of particles.

* * *

"Thank you so much!" The «Elven King» said as he bowed gratefully to the players. "With this, we can make our way home!" He shouted out. The other elves looked just as grateful and bowed behind their king.

"Yes, we are in your debt, adventurers." The «Elven Queen» stated, rising from her bow. "Please, allow us to thank you by taking these." She held out a paper scroll parchment towards the two, Kirito recognizing it immediately. Inside the scroll was a message and signature of the queen which could be exchanged to redeem the «Queen's Knightsword» on floor nine.

The king also held out his own scroll, which would redeem the «King's Knightsword». "Please, each of you, take one." He smiled as the two elves held out their own scrolls.

Sinon let out an exhausted breath. "Its about time. That quest felt like forever." She stretched her arms over her head. "I'm renting an inn as soon as I get back to «Zumfut»."

The boy next to her rolled his eyes. It wasn't like her muscles could get strained in this world. Although you could feel some sort of weariness by fighting and using skills, you couldn't actually feel physical exhaustion inside the game. People usually mistook mental exhaustion as physical in here. He let out a yawn into his glove, the day's activities finally getting to him. The quest was about as long as he'd expected, just a little over an hour. "Yeah, I guess it was a hard quest." He lied. If anything the quest was boring. Escort quests tend to have that effect. If he were in front of his computer, he probably would have passed out by now.

The girl scoffed. "Oh really? It was a hard quest?" She said sarcastically. "Right. Says the guy who can stop a mini boss with a single blow."

Kirito flinched as he felt her eyes bore into him. He looked away with a nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, must of been dumb luck. Don't know how I did th-"

"Oh shut it you damn liar." She cut him off. "I'll do ya a favor and won't ask, but that doesn't mean you can lie to my face like that!" She stomped towards him.

"I got it!" He yelled, once again at the woman's mercy. The angry girl crossed her arms and huffed, shrugging away. Kirito processed what she had said and a tiny smile appeared on his face. "Thank you." He said genuinely. If she were anyone else, she would have asked him a million questions about his level and stats, his skills, and everything else. He was truly lucky it was her that he ran into and not another player. "I'll put my trust into you. Don't let me down." He said in a joking, but serious manner. Sinon quickly covered her face with her scarf, lest he see that he made her blush, and nodded back at him. She would keep his secret.

Kirito took a step forward, approaching the female elf. "I guess I'll take the queen's scroll, if that's cool with you." He said, looking back at Sinon. He wasn't really giving her an option. He WAS taking the queen's scroll, he was just making it clear.

She nodded back at him. "Yeah, sure. I don't mind." Sinon replied with a shrug. "I'm only doing this quest for money anyway."

"Wait, seriously?" Kirito asked. Why in the world would you do a quest for a sword and not keep i- Oh, right. Spear user. "Well then, I guess it doesn't really matter which sword you get. They both would sell roughly at the same price." He told her as she nodded once more. He conceded with a sigh. "It's a shame you don't use a sword. That weapon is killer. Definitely better than your spear."

"I already know that." She bit back, mildly annoyed he insulted her weapon. It may not be that good, but she still worked for it! "That is precisely why I went out of my way to get it. I knew if I got the sword, I could sell it for a major amount of col." She gave him a smirk that caught him by surprise. "That «Anneal Blade» of yours can sell for a good thirty-thousand. The «King's Knightsword» is easily triple that." She said proudly, her hands returning to her hips.

He raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Not bad." He complimented, actually impressed. Everything she said was dead on. If you found the right buyer, the «Anneal Blade» could sell for thirty-thousand col easily. With extra upgrades, it could sell for a good forty-thousand. It was the best sword for the «One-Handed Sword» skill until at least the fifth floor. Gaining access to the «King's Knightsword» on floor nine, a weapon that has stats way beyond the «Anneal Blade» would easily gain the seller at least a six digit profit. "Quite the plan, considering you booked it to «Zumfut» immediately after the announcement went off."

Sinon smiled. "Yeah. My heart dropped when I heard it. I was inside the dungeon looking for the boss doors so I could sell the info and luckily came across it..." Her voice died down. _'Wait a second.'_ She thought. When she made it to the third floor, she was in the midst of running to «Zumfut» when she noticed the warp gate wasn't opened. _'That means the only way you can currently enter the third floor is by walking through the boss doors.'_ She didn't see a single soul when she stepped inside «Zumfut». In fact, the only person she had seen on this entire trip was Kirito.

Her eyes widened. _'N-No... No way... That's impossible... absurd.'_ She thought, in absolute shock. Kirito looked at the girl in confusion as her voice died away and she suddenly froze up.

"Um, Sinon?" He said, waving a hand in front of her face. Was this chick even breathing? "Hello?" He asked. beginning to get worried.

Her eyes slowly moved towards him until the two of them made eye contact. "It was you." She began, Kirito now giving her an even stranger look. "You beat the second floor boss by yourself, didn't you." She finished.

Kirito's eyes widened fast, before he quickly hid his surprise. He looked away and scratched his cheek. "Guess there isn't a need to hide it from you. Yeah I did." He looked back at her. He watched her stand still, completely stunned from his words. He called out, but she was lost in a world of her own. He quickly approached her and grabbed her shoulders. "Sinon!" He shook her, the girl finally blinking as he shook her shock away. He got closer to her, their noses nearly touching as he looked her in the eyes. "Now that you know this, you can't tell anyone." His eyes turned sharp. "I mean it."

She recoiled from him, the look in his eyes scaring her. "Y-Yeah, I won't. I-I promised, didn't I?" She told him. His gaze smoothed and he withdrew his grip from her shoulders. She let out a heavy breath. _'He can be scary when he wants to be.'_ She thought. Just the thought of those eyes piercing her made her shiver. _'Still, with his situation. I guess he has to be like that.'_ She pitied him when she thought about it. He was trapped in a spot that was impossible to get out of. The only choice he had was to hide. "I won't betray you."

The firmness in her voice almost made him blush. He quickly fought it down and smiled. "Thank you, and sorry for grabbing you like that." He meant what he said, but there was still a small bit of doubt in the back of his head. He couldn't fully trust her yet. _'We'll just have to see what happens.'_ His thoughts trailed off.

Only other choice he had was to kill her.

Didn't want to have to resort to that just yet, though.

Sinon nodded. "It's okay, I understand." She replied back calmly, surprising him. After what he just did, he thought she would start bitchin' at him again. She turned back to the elves who were still in the same position, holding their scrolls out. They sat there unblinking, waiting for the player to make their move, as if time had frozen them in place. "Npc's are kind of creepy." She commented, making Kirito chuckle. "Well, let's finish this quest."

"Yeah." They each both walked up to their respective choice and took the scrolls.

 **Quest Complete!**

Kirito looked down as his menu popped up with the quest rewards. A small smile graced him as he saw the certificate that would grant him his upcoming sword. "I can't wait till floor nine." He accidentally spoke aloud, his excitement escaping him.

The black haired girl just laughed. "I know what you mean. I have a hundred thousand col sitting in my inventory and I can't do a thing with it." The two chuckled some more as the elves went and left them alone at the outskirts of the forest. It was pretty fun joking around with each other like this. Excluding the rambunctious Argo, it had been awhile since Sinon actually had a conversation with someone. That certain someone being the only player who knew more about SAO then Argo did. She kind of wished it wouldn't have to end.

Then she had an idea.

"Hey Kirito." She muttered out as her scarf made its way to cover the lower half of her face.

"Yeah?"

She gulped. Was this a good idea? She wouldn't know unless she tried. "Add me."

Kirito blinked. "What?" He asked. "Could you say that again, I couldn't here yo-

"I SAID ADD ME!" She yelled, her scarf falling to her neck as her blush was freely shown to the world. The girl quickly opened her menu and flew through the directory as she searched for a specific option. Kirito watched as a friend request appeared in front of him. "Well!?" She began tapping her foot impatiently in wait of his reply, each second feeling like minutes.

The male player blinked at her and the request. It was probably best he didn't keep her waiting. He pressed the blue circle, accepting it. The girl huffed and crossed her arms, cheeks still burning from embarrassment. Kirito looked at her flushed face and couldn't help but grin. He wouldn't tease her this time. "I guess this means were friends now." He said, the word still feeling foreign on his tongue.

Friends

This would be the second one he made inside here and honestly, he hoped it would be the last. He no longer considered Argo a friend, and he was sure she felt the same. She was probably super pissed off at him. He did delete her and everyone else he knew off his friends list. If she got word of his identity, she would sell him out without a second thought. _'I do sort of miss her though.'_ Her wild antics, while annoying, were unique and sometimes fun. Kirito shook his head. _'Forget about her, she'll be fine on her own.'_ In terms of intellect, she was second only to him. She would also help players out if they needed it, albeit with a price. He had nothing to worry about.

He took in Sinon's form. Both she and Asuna seemed like good people who would stay quiet about him. They were also fun to talk with. Asuna, the nice but strict girl, and Sinon, the snarky gamer girl. It was also a plus that they both had ungodly amounts of beauty. With Asuna's breasts and Sinon's as-

Kirito coughed. "W-Well, I hope we can be good friends." He said. Sinon glanced at him and nodded. She wanted to be good friends too. He opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by a message.

 **Message**

 **Asuna:**

 **"Kirito! Did you hear the news! The second floor was beaten just like the first! Everyone is talking about it!"**

The boy sighed as he read her message, feeling Déjà vu. "Whose that?" The spear user asked, glancing at his message screen in curiosity and surprise. "I didn't know you had friends." She then glared at him. "I thought you were a solo player?"

The girl began to jab her finger into his chest again. Kirito held his arms up "I am!" He sighed as she looked at him expectantly. "It was sort of circumstance that I added them. Sort of like yours, I didn't really have a choice." That wasn't true, if he wanted he could have just left Asuna in the forest without telling her anything. Sinon doesn't know that, though.

Sinon sighed. "Fine then." She said as she stepped away from him. A small look of concern appeared on her face. "Are they trustworthy?"

Her question surprised Kirito. Was she really that concerned about his secret? He gave her a nod. "I think they are. They've known me for about a week and nothing's happened. She nodded back, satisfied with his answer. "Looking out for me already?" He teased.

"Why you!"

* * *

 **That's the chapter, I hope it was worth the year long wait. Probably not. Let's hope I can get myself in gear and get the next one up faster. The next chapter I write will definitely be the longest, so I hope it is satisfactory.**

 **How did you like the interaction between Kirito and Sinon? Did I get Sinon's personality correct? I tried to make her personality resemble the snarky one she has in the anime. I felt like I did better with her than I did with Asuna. I got a review saying there was a strong chance Asuna would be paired with Kirito from their previous interactions. What do you think now? Who can say for sure? I will say that I am getting more comfortable writing character interactions and I will try to make the characters stick to their original personality. This of course, excludes Kirito because I am altering him a certain way to fit the narrative of the story. Again, most of his original character traits will stay in tact.**

 **I felt like I had to improvise a lot, and will have to improvise a lot while continuing to write this story. The world of Sword Art Online is just so vague and I get most of my information from Google searches. Still, they can only give me so much. I hope you guys don't mind me making up equipment or sword skills. I will try to keep them all interesting and believable. If you have any concerns, review or PM me about this.**

 **You didn't miss it, did you? When the thought of killing Sinon to protect his identity crossed Kirito's mind? I wouldn't brush that under the rug, it may tell you more about Kirito's true character. Keep an eye out.**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a good day.**


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